St Giles's, Standlake
Standlake church is architecturally intriguing, its remarkable slender octagonal tower and short spire delightfully quirky. The present building has its origin in the Norman period but most of what we see today is the result of rebuilding in the 13th century with much modification in the following centuries. The church is cruciform with an ample nave flanked by aisles, and the pleasingly odd west tower seems a little shy compared with the usual assertive structures one is accustomed to seeing in this position.
The interior impresses with its sense of space, though the lighting is somewhat subdued, largely due to the interior having been scraped back to the stonework during the thorough Victorian restoration and the chancel (glimpsed beyond a modestly proportioned chancel arch) is full of glass by Burlison & Grylls which makes it darker still. There are features to enjoy, particularly a series of angel corbels that support the roof structures throughout the church, many Victorian but some more rustic medieval figures remain with slight traces of their original colour. Also remarkable are two torso fragments of medieval statues displayed in the south transept, both of which also retain traces of their original polychrome.
Standlake church is refreshingly unusual and worth exploring, and happily seems to be visitor friendly in being normaly kept open and welcoming.
St Giles's, Standlake
Standlake church is architecturally intriguing, its remarkable slender octagonal tower and short spire delightfully quirky. The present building has its origin in the Norman period but most of what we see today is the result of rebuilding in the 13th century with much modification in the following centuries. The church is cruciform with an ample nave flanked by aisles, and the pleasingly odd west tower seems a little shy compared with the usual assertive structures one is accustomed to seeing in this position.
The interior impresses with its sense of space, though the lighting is somewhat subdued, largely due to the interior having been scraped back to the stonework during the thorough Victorian restoration and the chancel (glimpsed beyond a modestly proportioned chancel arch) is full of glass by Burlison & Grylls which makes it darker still. There are features to enjoy, particularly a series of angel corbels that support the roof structures throughout the church, many Victorian but some more rustic medieval figures remain with slight traces of their original colour. Also remarkable are two torso fragments of medieval statues displayed in the south transept, both of which also retain traces of their original polychrome.
Standlake church is refreshingly unusual and worth exploring, and happily seems to be visitor friendly in being normaly kept open and welcoming.