Glentham

Location

You approach Glentham church from the west and the first thing you encounter is the fairly pedestrian Georgian west tower, built in 1756.  As you round the corner you are in for a great surprise.  For over the south porch and presumably still in situ, is a lovely, if weathered, panel of Our Lady of Pity. This image, one of the most popular images in late medieval English iconography, shows the Virgin Mary seated holding her dead son, who is lying across her lap.  It is a remarkable survival.  Below the panel and incorporated into the niche are the arms of the Tourney family of Caenby, who probably paid for the image and the porch. 



You enter the church through the west door and emerging from the tower under a Georgian west gallery.  The nave, which is an extremely spacious Perpendicular space, is filled with contemporary  pitch pine box pews.  The aisles are paved in brick.   



There are some interesting features within.  At the east end of the north aisle there is evidence of a medieval side altar, a reredos niche and an image bracket.  At the east end of the south aisle is a fine fourteenth century wooden chest, with chip-carved decoration.  At the west end, beside the Early English font and with her legs tucked under the gallery stair, is a fourteenth century effigy of a woman.  In the north chapel, now the vestry, is a brass to Elixabeth Tourney who died in 1452, but you can't see it as it's under the fitted carpet! To top it off, the north aisle has a window of 1915 by Christopher Whall.



Access: The church is kept locked but there is a keyholder notice in the south porch.  There is ample parking at the west end of the church.

If you want to see some more photos of Glentham have a look at my Flickr set.