Church Micro 7790...Great Gonerby - St Sebastian Traditional Cache
Church Micro 7790...Great Gonerby - St Sebastian
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A lock box - room for swaps - please bring something to sign the log
The present church stands on the site of an ancient Saxon place of worship. At first glance the building - with its 15th century spire, clerestory, parapet and pinnacles - appears to be all of a piece. However, once inside, a closer look reveals a mixture of architectural styles which portray a more complicated history. The earliest parts are the two arches and the four half rounded pillars supporting them, at the east end of the nave. These arches which are wider than the others, have recut leaf motifs on the capitals of their pillars which are typical of the late 12th century. The style of the adjacent window surrounds suggests that they also are earlier than the others - perhaps pre-1300. The remaining three arches in the South arcade are thirteenth century, and the windows in both walls are early fourteenth century. All this suggests that the nave in the previous church was T shaped - i.e.. it had transepts instead of the two side aisles. Then, in the late 13th, early 14th century the church was altered, with arches replacing the original outside walls and the transepts extended into full length side aisles. The final stage of development came in the fifteenth century when the west tower and clerestory (high level windows) were constructed. The first arch of the south arcade is mostly missing where the tower has cut into it. However, the northern arcade of arches fit properly and match the tower, suggesting that when this work was done the arches on this side were, for some reason, rebuilt. (Perhaps they collapsed!) Externally the 15th century builders added battlements and pinnacles to the roof line to give the building a uniform appearance. Below these, on the tower and clerestory, there is also a frieze of shields. At the North West corner of the tower is a niche containing the figure of a gentleman with a chain, perhaps representing the donor. Around the exterior are some fine carvings and gargoyles. Still visible on the North side of the chancel is an old brick chimney from a Victorian coke boiler installed below ground near the chancel steps. The chancel contains three sedilia (niches with seats cut into the wall for the priests to sit down). Beside these is a piscina where the vessels used at communion would be washed - the water draining away into the church foundations. There is a second piscina in the nave south aisle, and beside this is a 14th century wall tomb. The octagonal 14th century font is carved in one piece. It has eight different patterns of Decorated windows, like a pattern book. There is only one piece of stained glass in the church and that is in the chancel. It depicts a hare riding a hound. The tower contains three bells - the treble and tenor bells are from the medieval Nottingham foundry of Richard Mellows, about 1500, and the second bell was cast by Thomas Hedderly at Nottingham in 1765. The Church was restored in 1874 at a cost of £1500, when a gallery in the tower arch was removed, the windows re-glazed, and a new roof fitted. In 1890 a new organ was installed for £100. The present organ which cost £510 in 1925 was fully restored in 1997 for £8000. In 2006 the tower area was refurbished, creating a crèche room and toilet/kitchen facilities from the two former vestries. A disabled ramp was installed and the church carpet was replaced. “If anybody would like to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list ”
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre fgbar yrsg bs gryrtencu cbyr
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