Historic Churches 2018

14 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 25 TH ANNUAL EDITION version, with a smaller, solid section comprising narrow flush planks. 17th-century gates are often of plank construction with moulded fillets covering the joints. At St James, Charfield (Gloucestershire) the strap hinges run under the fillets and are set into the planks, while a strong drawbeam and lock on the inner face show that they meant business. The gates at St James, Dursley (Gloucestershire) could be earlier, perhaps even 16th century. They have a simpler moulding to the applied fillets which divide each gate into five vertical panels with rounded heads. Heavy strap hinges run under the fillets and the gates are topped by alternating plain and four-pronged wrought iron spikes (page 15, main). The timber west porch at St Bartholomew, Otford (Kent) has square-headed plank doors with heavy applied mouldings forming six panels on each. The porch is ventilated by sturdy turned balusters running the length of each side and is dated 1637 on a decorative pendant at the apex of the roof. The north porch of St Mary, Pembridge (Herefordshire) has a pair of four-panelled with large panelled doors. The tops are curved in such a way that when the gates are closed they almost form a semicircle. This feature is also found at St Cuthbert’s, Wells, where the south porch gates have fielded panels but no spikes, and at St Saviour’s, Dartmouth (Devon), with recessed moulded panels and very large spikes with a spiral twist. The same concave curve occurs at St Brannoc’s, Braunton (Devon) where the gates to the unused north porch belong to the second type of gates, with a framework of posts and rails infilled with spindles, slats or ironwork. Here the middle rail follows the curve of the top rail and the infill consists of slender spindles of alternating twisted and ovolo- moulded design. The posts and rails have a bead moulding and the gates are topped with alternating leaf-shaped and twisted iron spikes, now sadly rusting through the paint. St Mary’s, Isle Abbotts (Somerset) has more substantial alternating twisted and turned spindles, a slightly curved top rail and strap hinges which return down the central posts. The handsome spikes alternate simple lozenges with fleur-de-lys designs. These both appear to date from the 18th century but St Mary’s, Debenham (Suffolk) has a pair of early 17th-century gates with two rows of turned balusters with slender spikes on top (page 15, lower left). The steep stair in the western two-storey ‘porch’ (Pevsner calls it a Galilee) has newels and balusters of the same design. The disused south porch of St Andrew’s, Cullompton (Devon) has unusual Chinese Chippendale gates topped with tall spikes with multiple scrolls which probably date from 1770–90 (page 14, lower left). The lower section of saltire crosses appears to be a repair and may not follow the original design. Most gates of this type are much less decorative and can be plain in the extreme, but visit on a sunny day and their shadows on the porch floor can be dramatic. Top rails may be straight, have a gentle downward curve, or be ramped at the ends and may have a simple bead moulding. Studs can be square or set diamond-wise, while the splats may be plain or have decorative tops. St Mary’s, Grosmont (Monmouthshire) has decorative splats with finials on the side posts of each gate. All Saints, Monksilver (Somerset) has a ramped top rail, bead mouldings on the main members and diamond studs with a little finial on each. Like many gates, they have been extended to fill the entire arch with a modern framework and metal mesh. The charmingly rustic gate at All Saints, Billesley (Warwickshire) also has diamond Holy Trinity, Much Wenlock: these wonderful panelled gates to the south porch date from the late 17th or early 18th century. The space for ventilation is unusually small and the ironwork takes the common form of a lozenge-shaped spike with a spiral on each side. St Peter, Oundle: these handsome doors date from the late 17th century. The sunburst effect forming a ventilation panel filling the head of the arch is most unusual. Holy Cross, Sherston: this wooden porch and its openwork gates with dramatic cusping superficially look 19th century, but the design of the splat balusters suggests that it may be 18th century. St Andrew’s, Cullompton: looking somewhat forlorn in the unused south porch, these gates of Chinese Chippendale design are nevertheless impressive and unusual, with beautifully executed ironwork. gates, inscribed ‘THO : BENGOVGH : AND : IO : BADHAMWARDENS : ANO DMI 1678’. The gates are topped by curved sections bearing a row of sharp iron spikes; the wood is less weathered and it is tempting to believe these sections were added in the 18th century (page 15, lower right). The two-panelled gates at St Martin, Dunton (Buckinghamshire) have ramped tops and date from the early 18th century. They are quite low and would be easy to climb over were it not for the row of fearsome spikes along the top. The gates at St Mary’s, Winterborne Stickland (Dorset) are taller and also have a ramped top and spikes, but are constructed of two layers of planks, the inner layer horizontal and the outer layer set diagonally. The north porch of Wells Cathedral has even taller ramped-top gates, each with nine recessed moulded panels. The strap hinges are the full width of the gate, the upper ones following the curve of the ramped top. The spikes are attached to the top of the gates by a metal plate which folds over the sides. Inside the cathedral at the west end are two pairs of gates