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Herefordshire Part 1: Churches of Welsh Bicknor to Woolhope
YOUR PICTURE GALLERY IS NOW LOADING...
The Church of St Margaret, Welsh
Bicknor (once in Ercing), is on the east flank of the YHA
Wye Valley buildings in this headland which is bounded on
three sides by the River Wye. The nearby hostel is a grand
range of stone buildings, erected for the wealthy rector and
landowner, Stephen Allaway. He also paid for the demolition
of the old Norman church on this site and this 1858 replacement,
an expansive Victorian version in the same style, but much richer.
The architect was T H Rushforth of London. It
has a three-bay nave, a two-bay south aisle, two-bay chancel, north
vestry, south-west tower, and west porch. The walls are built of
local sandstone ashlar, aside from the rubble base of the tower
which may be medieval material. The Bathstone dressings have
polished Welsh slate shafts. The church was closed and sold in 2011
to the Vaughans of the neighbouring Courtfield Estate. Sympathetic
restoration began in 2016.
All Saints Church, Brockhampton, is on
the northern side of the lane, at the bus stop, and directly north
of Brockhampton Cricket Club and Brockhampton Court. The church was
built in loving memory of Eben Dyer Jordan & Julia Clark, by
their daughter, Alice Madeline Foster. Eben Dyer Jordan was the
wealthy co-founder of the Jordan Marsh Co department stores of
Boston USA - now Macys. The church was consecrated by the bishop
of the diocese on 16 October 1902.
Construction was in the Arts and Crafts style
by William Lethaby, with a thatched roof. No expense was spared.
The windows are by Christopher Whall, the carving by George Jack,
teacher of woodcarving at the Royal College of Arts, and the
tapestry panels are from Morris & Co, designed by Burne-Jones.
The timber belfry holds two medieval bells from the old fifteenth
century building with tower and south porch of the 1500s which,
unused by 1902, is now a roofless ruin.
St George's Church, Woolhope, stands at
the northern head of a long footpath leading off the main street,
running parallel with Martins Close to its west. The structure is
largely Norman, built in the second half of the 1100s (during the
reigns of William of Normandy and son, William Rufus). The tower of
the 1200s commands the valley which is named after Wulviva who, with
her more famous sister Godiva of Mercia, gave the land to the dean
and chapter of Hereford.
The Norman work is seen in the north arcade, a
window in the sanctuary, and a carved head under the tower. The
church underwent restoration work in 1848, but much of the present
fabric, internal woodwork, and fittings date from a more major
restoration in 1883 by Henry Woodyer under the benefaction of the
Booker family of Wessington Court. The south porch was added at the
same time. The organ by William Vincent of Liverpool (1862) is
classed as being particularly fine.
Two photos each on this page kindly contributed
by Douglas Law and JMC4 - Church Explorer, all via the 'History
Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and two
originally published on Lynne's 'Echoes of the Past' blog and
reproduced here with permission. Additional information from
'Echoes of the Past' and by JMC4 - Church Explorer.
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