I couldn't resist dropping in this heavenly sphere from a Karl Parsons' window in Leicester's Church of St Philip, 1921. Shown to me by @chartresfi.bsky.social.

A seraph bears a six-pointed star - the central panel of Karl Parsons’ fine west window at St Laurence’s, Ansley (Warks.) Dated 1930

Unusual little object in the south porch at Much Dewchurch Three-strand interlace pattern and carved on both sides. But what is it? Malcolm Thurlby think a c12 grave marker. Very rare survival if so

Dudley Public Library of 1908-9 Allegorical figures of Science and the Arts recline on a broken pediment - positively Michelangelesque! (à la the Medici tombs) Architect was George H Wenyon Sculptors probably HH Martyn & Co

St George and the dragon by William Bloye on Dudley Town Hall (War Memorial Tower) - late 1920s

Interlocking two-strand circles on the c12 capital of the west doorway at Leominster Priory For a bonus point - can you spot Samson and the lion?

fine surprise in the suburbs of Dudley - a mid-12th century tympanum at St Peter, Pedmore Christ in Majesty surrounded by the Evangelists. St Matthew holds the mandorla in place (top-right) a rather far-flung example of the Herefordshire school of carving

Minton tiles around the font at Holy Trinity, Hartshill (Stoke-on-Trent)

Now to Bower Norris’s much later St John Fisher, West Heath - 1964 énorme!

Our Lady & St Brigid, Northfield by Bower Norris - 1936 A sort of minimalist Italian Romanesque (with a striking campanile) a very squeezed site but still a winner

A fine day to go out hunting some Ernest Bower Norris churches in the Black Country Holy Name of Jesus, Great Barr - 1938 typical sharp Art Deco detailing at the west end (which faces the busy Birmingham Road) reminds one of his slightly earlier church at North Walsham

Might be the smallest east window I’ve ever seen - St Laurence, Ansley (Chancel extended by John Ludford in 1760)

@jshellyer.bsky.social Sherborne cemetery harboured a decaying gem: the Digby Mausoleum, shown in the London Exhibition of 1862. Built by George Wingfield Digby for his family. The wide pointed entrance arch is a tour de force; in the tympanum a relief of the Lord's Resurrection by Redfern. 1/2

Walsingham Bridewell, Norfolk #adoorablethursday

The Hall of Brasenose College in Oxford (early 16c) #windowsonwednesday

a day off, so out I went Karl Parsons glass of 1931 at Catshill, Worcs. St Christopher carrying the Christ Child

to St Mary, Oldswinford next A look back from the elaborate 1890s chancel at the wonderful pre-Ecclesiological nave of the early 1840s Quite the contrast & that roof!

Glass by Henry Payne at St Thomas, Stourbridge (left pic) and because I’ve been thinking about comparions recently, here is his window at St Agnes, Moseley commemorating William Harrison Colmore (d. 1907) that I saw a few years ago

An unplanned day in Worcestershire (so no itinerary!) first stop a rather impressive early Georgian church- St Thomas, Stourbridge (1728-36) The baroque east end is an 1889-90 addition, but I rather like it Well preserved interior recalls Wren’s St James, Piccadilly (but a fair bit more austere)

It's based on a design by Maarten van Heemskerck. Here is an engraving using his design by Philips Galle (British Museum).

And a very worn/damaged (but somehow the better for it) Judith & Holofernes

But who is this? A rare outing of that goldsmith turned bishop, Saint Éloi? I guess it’s from an engraving

Some fine c17 roundels at the west end of St Mary’s, Shrewsbury Not there during my last visit, I don’t think. I wonder where they’re from? This one is labelled as unknown saint/bishop but with a martyr's palm, mitre & the stoning scene in the background, I guess that Timothy is a safe bet?

there’s an eagle font cover at Penmorfa (Gwynedd) can’t remember ever seeing anything else quite like it

The wooden lectern in St Michael's, Aynho, was impressive if not Pelican-liked. My photos were poor, arriving very late in the day at the church, but Aiden McRae Thomson's picture (here) is far better. Pevsner says this is Victorian.

What an intriguing artifact! I've seen two other wooden Pelican in their Piety lecterns fairly near me, and the famous metal example in Norwich, shown.

another oddity is in St Giles, Newscastle-under-Lyme. A huge pelican. But what’s the date?

do you know which church in Cheshire, out of interest? When I hear about medieval lecterns in that county I immediately think of Astbury, but no match Gives me a chance to post it though. those talons!

Charming little 16th century vestry at St Helen’s, Kirkland (Lancs.) Attached to north-east corner of church, it’s now entered through a door behind the organ

A trip to Dudley (part 3) St Peter, Upper Gornal - a Commissioners’ church of 1840-2 by Robert Ebbels. Bit reminiscent of King’s College Chapel (more so in the 1840s painting before turrets reduced) Interesting skeletal (& vaguely classical) parclose screen of 1922 by FT Beck inside Closed 2023

A trip around Dudley (part 2) to St James (Eve Hill) to see the huge reredos of 1921 designed by CE Bateman. Not sure who did the painting, perhaps Meteyard (?) It’s been moved & is now sited on the west gallery Sadly, the church held its last service in 2024 and is now permanently closed.

A trip to Dudley today First stop: St Francis, home to glass by Francis Skeat commemorating local boy Duncan Edwards, who died aged 21 following the Munich air disaster. He initially survived the crash but later succumbed to his injuries His funeral was held at the church on 26th February 1958

early 1930s reredos at St Saviour’s, Eltham by Donald Hastings

think I might’ve looked a bit odd when peaking through the broken glass windows of this locked mausoleum at St Mary’s, Chirk Most of the time this results in a spider in the face, but sometimes it’s worth it to Mary Rosamund Trevor who died aged five in 1904

It’s worth squinting to read the inscription on this one - a strong ending Monument to Ann Gaderen (d.1699) at Whitchurch, Bucks 👇

interesting little monument high up at Holy Cross, Greenford Erected by Thomas White, labelled as ‘the survivor’ in the central circle at the top Around him his dead relatives in separate circles, 3/4 died in the year 1638. Inscription below reads: ego solus morte undique circumdatus superstes

Anyway, I visited to Greenford principally to satisfy my current addiction to 1930s churches Richardson’s vast Holy Cross New Church of 1939 did not disappoint

Some fine glass in the medieval church, said to come from King’s College Cambridge (patron of the living) A windmill, a moon (from a crucifixion scene, I imagine?), the arms of Catherine of Aragon & many other fragments

Two for the price of one at Greenford: the medieval flint-faced Holy Cross Church in the foreground, with Albert Richardson’s enormous 1939 church of the same name rising behind.

Out monument hunting today First stop St Mary’s, Watford to see these two whoppers by Nicholas Stone (made 1619 & 1628/9 respectively)

fine early 1960s glass by Brian Thomas at St Michael, Chiswick In memory of Samuel Manning, Vicar from 1948-59

AE Lemmon on especially fine form at St Peter’s, Greets Green (West Brom) Te Deum east window of 1930

superb early 20th century screen at All Saints, Small Heath (formerly St Aidan) densely carved with some intricate, free carving in the tracery heads, it allows only glimpses of the golden reredos by Martin Travers beyond

glass by Jane Gray at Woolstaston, Shropshire

late 14th century Tree of Jesse on the Dean’s stall at Chester Cathedral Jesse lays at the bottom and a vine populated by many figures (& grapes) grows all the way to the Coronation of the Virgin at the top. The dove as Holy Spirit in the apex

Thanks for that. Here's an even more rustic version at Long Melford, Suffolk. Several times in East Anglia she's paired on screens with St Lawrence (though not at Barton Turf), two important household saints, familiar and useful for toothache and household fires.

I went in with Oxford Open Doors...but that was definitely NOT included! Maybe that's where they keep their collection of Pelicans in their Piety? (Corpus Christi "Welcoming Pelican", left, and altar frontal Pelican, right).

Fourth top: out of Small Heath and to Sparkhill. Specifically St John the Evangelist by Martin & Chamberlain (1888-95) Looked relatively standard (if quite spiky) from outside, but…

Third stop: St Gregory the Great, Coventry Rd (Bethel United Church since late 90s) Nave by JL Ball (1911-12) and west front by H Hobbiss (mid-1920s) shame about the Perspex over the windows but some lovely detailing, esp on the apse. Orig. planned to be larger -‘a magnificent fragment’ - Pevsner

Next up is St Benedict, Hob Moor Road An interesting church of 1908-9 by G Salway Nicol (of Nicol & Nicol) ‘an experiment’, apparently - early Christian detail with high Gothic proportions Chequer patterning the main tell that Lethaby was an influence