South Porch, Brailes
Brailes is one of the more picturesque villages of south Warwickshire, and its church of St George is justly renowned as one of the county's grandest parish churches. It is an impressively large building in a delightfully coloured golden-brown ironstone, dating mainly from the 14th century and terminated by a lofty west tower (finished in the following century), a handsome edifice that announces the building's presence from afar.
The main body of the church impresses more with its substantial length and width than height, and once inside the sense of space punctuated by arches and columns is impossible to ignore. The wooden roof above seems to stretch forever onwards and is supported by some amusingly carved head-corbels. A fine 14th century font stands at the west end adorned with geometric designs like traceried windows, as if each side was based on a page from some medieval mason's pattern-book. In the south aisle is a very heavily eroded medieval priest's effigy on a tomb chest, its condition explained by the fact it originally stood in the churchyard until being brought inside to protect it from further weathering only in 1933. There is an interesting mixture of glass in the windows, all Victorian or more recent but with a couple of above average pieces.
This was only my second ever visit to Brailes church (first was on a family day out in my early teens long ago). It made a fitting end to a day's cycling in the area, and being late in the day I was lucky to find it still open, which I believe it normally is during the day..
www.britainexpress.com/counties/warwickshire/churches/low...
A final word of thanks here is due to my mate Tim Clevely who came to my rescue as I made my way home after leaving here only to have an inner-tube on my bike fail apparently beyond redemption a few miles on. I could have faced a very long walk home (would have missed last train too), so that lift back (and the subsequent social evening) was hugely appreciated!
South Porch, Brailes
Brailes is one of the more picturesque villages of south Warwickshire, and its church of St George is justly renowned as one of the county's grandest parish churches. It is an impressively large building in a delightfully coloured golden-brown ironstone, dating mainly from the 14th century and terminated by a lofty west tower (finished in the following century), a handsome edifice that announces the building's presence from afar.
The main body of the church impresses more with its substantial length and width than height, and once inside the sense of space punctuated by arches and columns is impossible to ignore. The wooden roof above seems to stretch forever onwards and is supported by some amusingly carved head-corbels. A fine 14th century font stands at the west end adorned with geometric designs like traceried windows, as if each side was based on a page from some medieval mason's pattern-book. In the south aisle is a very heavily eroded medieval priest's effigy on a tomb chest, its condition explained by the fact it originally stood in the churchyard until being brought inside to protect it from further weathering only in 1933. There is an interesting mixture of glass in the windows, all Victorian or more recent but with a couple of above average pieces.
This was only my second ever visit to Brailes church (first was on a family day out in my early teens long ago). It made a fitting end to a day's cycling in the area, and being late in the day I was lucky to find it still open, which I believe it normally is during the day..
www.britainexpress.com/counties/warwickshire/churches/low...
A final word of thanks here is due to my mate Tim Clevely who came to my rescue as I made my way home after leaving here only to have an inner-tube on my bike fail apparently beyond redemption a few miles on. I could have faced a very long walk home (would have missed last train too), so that lift back (and the subsequent social evening) was hugely appreciated!