Frome, Somerset

This pointy-eared creature is billed as Anglo-Saxon, but surely its jaunty pose and classic 'tail wrapped under the leg' points to a Norman date? It's not the same colour stone as the knotwork (below), which perhaps also supports the idea they're not connected. (I've since found that the South West Corpus book says it is Saxon though, so I suppose I should defer).

This Saxon fragment is clearest on the left side, and has at least one creature biting onto the 

knotwork. The zig zags (faint on my drawing) suggest there is definitely the snakey body of an animal (dragon?) here too - it's a motif present in the carvings at Colerne and Ramsbury.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Hinton Parva, Wiltshire

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Ramsbury, Wiltshire

Sketches from the Anglo-Saxon carved stones in Holy Cross church, Ramsbury.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Ditteridge, Wiltshire

These carvings are from St Christopher's church in Ditteridge. 

This regal (though rather noseless) head keeps watch from the left door jamb.

This king(?) with beautifully curly beard, looks in from the right.

This jaunty canine creature has the big teeth, perky ears, and scrolly tail wrapped through a leg, that I've seen elsewhere.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Colerne, Wiltshire

There are two fragments of Anglo-Saxon carving built into St John the Baptist's church. This one is the less worn.

The stone is actually at 90 degrees to this drawing. I only realised after I'd finished, that this way is probably how it was originally carved to be seen (perhaps). At least, on its own, it makes more sense up this way. The doggish noses and big teeth are reminiscent of the dragon heads at Elkstone. Though those must be centuries later. Pevsner says the Colerne dragons are from the 9th century.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Elkstone, Gloucestershire

There's so much to see at Elkstone that I ended up feeling rather overwhelmed by it all. Too much choice! and in the end I hardly drew anything.
 

In the gloom beneath the tower there is a large broken slab with an interlace design. The blurb in the church called it 'pagan' which seems a bit imaginative (though I'm not sure what era it would be from). It was impressively solid. In any other church it'd take pride of place. But in the competitive environment of Elkstone, it ends up relegated to a dingy corner behind some chairs.

This striking dragon head (with very scary teeth) is on the left of the chancel arch. He has a nice doggy nose and beading up his snout.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Stratton, Gloucestershire

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Daglingworth, Gloucestershire

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire

All Saints church has an amazing Anglo-Saxon doorway. It's been opened up and tastefully glazed. It looks beautiful from inside and makes the space light and superb.
 

You can almost imagine stepping through it into another time.

From the outside you can see the long-short arrangement of stones which is characteristic of Anglo-Saxon architecture. Over the doorway is an arch with a simple twisted rope design. It's very striking the way the stones are so chunky and yet the gap is so narrow. It sort of fits the shape of a person. It was difficult to see inside. This rather added to the Portal-like effect.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Harnhill, Gloucestershire

This tympanum is over the door at St Michael and All Angels.

Maybe we're more likely to think that modern dragons have four legs. But all the ones my sister and I have come across seem to be the two legged, long-tailed variety. I'm guessing Welsh dragons and English dragons are actually different species. Here's a dragon getting abused by a sword-wielding St Michael (in his skirt). I say leave the poor creature alone. The carving is quite green with algae, but I don't think that detracts from its niceness.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Ampney St Mary, Gloucestershire

These strange creatures are at the isolated church of Ampney St Mary. There's a photo of them on Bethan's blog here.

  In fairness it was just about to hammer down with rain, but I didn't position this so well on the page. They're some of my favourite creatures yet. One might be a lion with a tidy bottom and super elegant back legs. Another a griffin? They've both got the tail-under-leg thing going on. But what are those two creatures underneath! They've got kind of Cheshire Cat style faces. But strange maggoty legless bodies.


 Images © Rhiannon 2014 

South Cerney, Gloucestershire

The Norman door at All Hallows has it all. You could draw it for weeks. Rex Harris's photo illustrates the beaky creatures, the zig zags, some neat flowers, and some amazingly intricate patterns in the innermost arch. I thought the latter even smacked of something interlacey and Anglo-Saxon... I need to draw them to explore the patterns (have to go back).

 

The door jambs have an interesting beaded motif, rather like stone hinges. They form little shelves.

I love drawing vegetationy scrolls. They're so easily overlooked. But if you draw them, you really See them. And I enjoy that, I feel like I'm properly interacting with what the carvers intended, nearly a thousand years ago.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014

Whaddon, Wiltshire (a return)

From the doorway of St Mary the Virgin, Whaddon. 

 

This is the asymmetrical beaded design on the curved lintel / tympanum.

The detailed decoration of the capitals and abaci is quite different on the right and left columns.

 Images © Rhiannon 2014