The Four Magi? This late 13th-century wall painting at St Mary, Black Bourton (Oxon) depicts the Adoration of the Magi. Mary, crowned as Queen of Heaven, sits on the left with the Christ Child on her lap. The Child raises his right hand to bless the kneeling Magus while two others stand behind.

A Christmas present for a friend of mine. These are four bas reliefs mounted in the Loggia at Wilton House (Wiltshire). The originals are probably by Nicholas Stone and date from the 1630s. They depict: Europa, a Triton, Venus, and another Triton.

Dorchester Abbey (Oxfordshire) is famous for having a mediaeval Jesse window (picture 4). However, it's rather bitty; more a patchwork of various fragments than a complete window, though it does cleverly combine glass with carved stonework.

The Village Pump as Baptismal Cup (or Orange Receptacle). All Saints, Barnwell (Northamptonshire) preserves an unusual monument to three-year-old Henry Montagu (d.1625).

The gold frog. Sir John Poley's monument in the Poley Chapel at Holy Trinity, Boxted (Suffolk) shows this soldier wearing an extraordinary detail - a gold frog earring.

The fictive funeral pall of the 3rd Baron at Turvey (Bedfordshire). This monument commemorates Lewis Mordaunt (1538-1601), 3rd Baron Mordaunt, who served as a judge at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, 'Unto whose sentence he did most unwillingly concur'.

In the south aisle of Beckley church (Oxfordshire) are remarkable medieval wall paintings depicting the fate of souls.

Demon! The wall paintings in Beckley church (Oxfordshire) include a Doom with this prancing demon with a spikey tail. Also featured is the Hell Mouth, swallowing the damned. In the central section, where there was once a door, are the remains of the royal arms of George III.

Wooden beams support the crumbling chancel at Holy Trinity, Dalton (Northumberland). Built in 1836 by John Green, this small church has been closed since the mid-2000s. The two hatchments it held are long gone, but a brass to Edward Collingwood (d.1866) and his wife Arabella (d.1840) survives.

The ornate reredos at St Augustine's, Pendlebury (Lancashire), created by Burlison & Grylls for George Bodley's 1870s church.

Two tombs for Lord Wharton. It's not uncommon for someone to have more than one memorial, but two large monuments with effigies (one a cenotaph) is rare. Both commemorate Thomas Wharton and his wives Eleanor and Anne.

The remarkable font at Hook Norton, (Oxfordshire), dated to c.1120-30. Unwrapped. This font presents a fascinating mix of biblical and zodiacal imagery. Adam and Eve (helpfully labelled ADAM and EVA) appear on the east face - Adam wielding spade and rake while Eve holds apple and fig leaf.

Dating to the mid-to-late 14th century, the dovecote at Sibthorpe (Nottinghamshire) is, along with the church, the only remaining building of the lost mediaeval village. It has around 1,200 nesting boxes on the interior walls.

St John the Baptist church, Croglin (Cumberland) - Part II. The church also contained two photographs of the earlier building. In the east window, Ascension glass of 1891, signed Lavers & Westlake.

St John Baptist church, Croglin (Cumberland). My recording visit was in 2011 & the church was closed in 2012. Some years later a charitable organisation, The Helm at Croglin, attempted to raise funds to secure it but alas, they did not succeed. It went on the market in October 2025 for £100,000.

Ninian Comper's extraordinary 1895 altarpiece at St Mary's, Cavendish, Suffolk.

The Lace Lady at Isleham, Cambridgeshire: Thomas Peyton's brass (d.1484) at St Andrew's features one of England's most exceptional monumental brass figures.

The huge monument to Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle (d.1691) and family. Erected in 1727 in the church at Old Bolsover, Derbyshire. Two allegorical figures recline on the pediment. Designed by James Gibbs and executed by Francis Bird.

Sleeping Beauty: Blanche Mortimer, Lady Grandison (d.1347) at St Bartholomew, Much Marcle, Herefordshire. Perhaps the loveliest effigy of a lady in any English parish church.

Figurative Norman fonts in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Unwrapped.

Sir Humphrey de Littlebury (d.1339) at All Saints, Holbeach, Lincolnshire. Knight and joint admiral of the English fleet in the 1320s with a mandate to 'bridle the malice of the Scots' and fight piracy.

The magnificent tomb at Wingfield Church, Suffolk, depicts John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1442-1492) in armour with ducal coronet, and his widow Elizabeth of York in her barbe. The splendour of these monuments belies Suffolk's lifetime of financial struggle.

The Perpendicular font and font cover at Ewelme, Oxfordshire. Given in 1475, the cover stands 3.2 metres tall and is crowned by a figure of St Michael (although missing his sword and scales). Parts of the woodwork are repairs and additions following damage when the cover fell in 1828.

One of England's four largest 'Flemish' brasses is at St Mary Magdalene, Newark (Nottinghamshire). It measures 2.8m x 1.7m and commemorates wool merchant Alan Fleming (d.1361).

The striking life-size monument to Sir Thomas Cholmondeley Owen (d.1864) at Condover, Shropshire. It is George Frederick Watts's first securely dated sculpture (1867). The kneeling figure leans on his dress sword.

Harpole's extraordinary mid-12th century font features a vigorous Tree of Life design with confronted lions devouring its branches. The cylindrical bowl displays remarkable scenes: beasts entangle with foliage, one creature bites its own tail, and fish-scale patterns complete the composition

Gilt-bronze reliefs on Tournai marble. These are to be found on the monument to Sir John and Lady Joan Wyndham at Watchet (Somerset). It was erected in 1637 and was commissioned by the couple's son from the sculptor Nicholas Stone.

A remarkable semi-effigial. On the north side of the little church at Howell (Lincolnshire) is a former chantry chapel. In it is this unusual 14th century monument - a semi-effigial - where the bust of the deceased is shown in a sunken aperture.

A model I made as a Christmas 2023 gift for a friend, depicting Lady Carey's monument (d.1630) at Stowe-Nine-Churches, Northamptonshire. The original by Nicholas Stone, erected by Lady Carey herself in 1620, is one of the greatest works of early 17th-century church sculpture in England.

Three monuments by Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841). The first image shows Charlotte Finch (d.1813) at Burley-on-the-Hill (Rutland), with a detail view. The second shows Martha, Countess of St Vincent (d.1816) at Caverswall (Staffordshire), and the third Frances Cooke (d.1818) at Owston (Yorkshire).

A chapel-filling monument. The tomb of Sir Baptist Hicks and his wife Elizabeth May at St James, Chipping Campden (Gloucestershire) is probably by the sculptor Nicholas Stone.

The Seven Sacraments window at Doddiscombsleigh, Devon. This late 15th-century window is complete apart from the central figure of Christ which is by Clayton & Bell (1879).

Cross-eyed owl. A fine panel of stained and enamelled glass, attributed to the York artist Henry Gyles (1640?-1709), in the church at Thornhill, Yorkshire. It probably commemorates Sir George Savile, 4th Baronet of Thornhill. The reduced height panels in the base suggest a missing inscription.

A Strange monument. The tomb chest at Hunstanton (Norfolk) bears one of the finest brasses of its era in the country. It commemorates Sir Roger le Strange (d.1506), Knight of the Body to Henry VII. The borders of the brass are populated with his ancestors. Number 147 in "Country Church Monuments".

A medieval cope. This c.1500 vestment, now framed in the church at Whitbourne (Herefordshire), was found in the Rectory attic. Like many medieval copes, it was converted into an altar frontal at the Reformation. It depicts Christ enthroned, the Annunciation, seraphim, double-headed eagles and saints

"The first fruits unto God". This lovely stained glass panel depicting St Cecilia can be found at St Michael & All Angels, Waterford (Herts). Designed by Harry Clarke in 1921 and made by Karl Parsons in 1929. Its location, directly opposite the main door, makes for a dramatic entrance to the church.

A treasure found in a stable-loft. The retable, now on display in the church at Thornham Parva (Suffolk), dates to the second quarter of the 14th century and was probably made for the Dominican church at nearby Thetford.

Commemoration of a siege. This window is in Farndon church (Cheshire). It was commissioned by the Royalist William Barnston (d.1664), an adviser to Charles I at the Siege of Chester (1644-6), to commemorate the Royalist defenders of the city.

Dancing ladies on a Roman altar. Now reused as the church font at Lund (Lancashire), this carved stone block was originally a Roman altar dating from c. AD 400. The front displays three Matres (mother goddesses), while the sides depict dancing figures.

Early 15th century glass at Cartmel Priory, Lancashire. These panels are in the east window and feature an archbishop saint (possibly William of York), the Virgin and Child, and St John the Baptist. See: Hebgin-Barnes, P. "The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire" (Oxford: OUP, 2009), pp. 48-76.

Unusual 18th century etched glass. The east window of the church at Great Coxwell (Berkshire) contains a set of etched panels by the glass painter Francis Eginton (1737-1805). They date from c.1795 when the church was "improved". These 18th century etched panels are very rare (although not unique).

A man in a shroud. This monumental brass commemorates William Leynthall (d.1497) at Great Haseley, Oxfordshire. He is depicted in a burial shroud. The inscription is in abbreviated Latin and roughly translates as:

Amazing continental glass in Somerset. The east window of St Leonard's, Marston Bigot (Somerset) contains several panels, ranging in date from the late 15th to the late 16th century. The detailed pictures show: 1. Jacob preparing to appear before Esau. 2. The Fountain of Life. 3. The Annunciation

One of England's finest early 17th-century monuments, erected in 1621 at St Leonard's, Apethorpe (Northamptonshire), commemorates Sir Anthony and Grace Mildmay. It is probably by Maximilian Colt. Number 212 in "Country Church Monuments".

Like a rocket. This is the Sykes Monument at Garton in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is 37 metres high and was built in 1865, in memory of Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet (1772-1863), by "those who loved him as a friend and honoured him as a landlord".

Delightful late-15th century painted birds perch among foliage and flowers on the dado of the screen to the Conyers Chapel in Hornby church, North Riding of Yorkshire. The painting is full of life and movement.

The exceptionally fine rood screen at Barton Turf, Norfolk. From the last quarter of the 15th century. The paintings are well preserved with minimal iconoclastic damage. The screen depicts Saints and Heavenly Hierarchies, named on the top rail. The detailed pictures show:

The monument that caused a riot. Colonel John Birch (d.1691) supported Parliament during the Civil War and became a captain in the Bristol Militia. His greatest military achievement was the capture of Hereford in 1645 after which he became governor of the city.

An amazing survival. This panel dates from c.1230 and depicts the stoning to death of St Stephen. The text below the figures is in Lombardic letters and reads ‘STEPHANUS ORANS EXPIRAT’ (Stephen dies while praying). The panel is in Graveley church, Hampshire.