Calverton St Wilfrid

Carvings

There are many pieces of medieval carved stonework in this church. Some of these are in their original locations, some have been removed but re-used elsewhere in the building, others have been set into walls, and some are simply lying about. A number of these were discovered in 1881 when the floor of the nave was lowered. This page includes pictures of a number of them.

Of particular interest are the stones set into the west wall of the clock chamber. These are Norman and depict occupations of the seasons. They represent a very widespread tradition: the floor of the Cathedral of Otranto in Southern Italy has similar Norman representations on the months of the year: though possibly our stones represent rural occupations through the year, rather than a formal series assigning different tasks to each month: similar scenes are found in twelve month panels on the sides of a Norman font at Burnham Deepdale in Norfolk.

Also in the clock chamber are other loose stones found under the nave in 1881. In particular there is a fragment of a mullion, a section of the Norman font (which inspired the current font), and part of an arch moulding with the head of a beaked monster on it. This came from a different arch from that rebuilt over the William Lee Annex door.