A gentle walk around the Manor of Stydd reveals much to photograph. It lies close to Ribchester in Lancashire. It has what has been described as a unique set of Almshouses, dating from 1728. The steps up to the veranda are spectacular.
St Saviour's church, established in the mid-thirteenth century, stands in a field close to Stydd Manor Farm and is Grade 1 listed by English Heritage. The church was acquired by the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. It has an octagonal font decorated with carved shields depicting sacred and heraldic symbols and monograms. Two of these, respectively, show the sacred heart with the wounded hands and feet of christ and five animal heads, possibly representing bulls. The latter look like devils to me! Both shields are illustrated below.
There is also a fine looking wall with an inset plaque recording the date 1830. More on the church can be
HERE.
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| The Almshouses at Stydd |
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| St Saviour's Church |
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| The interior of St Saviour's |
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| The Sacred Heart with the wounded Hands and Feet of Christ |
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| This heraldic device has five animal heads of unknown origin |
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A beautiful bit of walling at Stydd Manor farm
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This is fascinating - I want to discover more. I have a book on Shropshire equivalents and also Gloucestershire. How good that these places are being preserved and cared for.
ReplyDeleteThat is a gorgeous building! I can easily imagine a friend who is a children's book illustrator finding use for it. And the wee church reminds me of many I came upon traveling around in '83. I can almost smell the incense that was so pronounced in several of them.
ReplyDeleteWell worth a visit, Ann and unlike others the door always seems to be open.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while, TAL, to work out that there were three doors at the top of the steps and one each side down below. Re your friend, it certainly is a drawable building - so unusual. Added to which, there is a beautiful country graveyard next door!
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