Boston Stump, 1

Still in Lincolnshire, but working our way back to Norwich--to be explained--we took in yet another 5-star parish church, the so-called Boston Stump. St. Botolph's. Simply stated, the early 14th century builders of this church just kept building the tower, never quite getting to a spire, and then apparently decided a spire might be too much weight on an already heavy edifice, and so stopped there. 16th century. The tower itself is the highest in England, 272 feet--any sort of steeple would have topped St. Wulfram's easily--but no, they stopped there with the tower, and the church has since then been known as the "Stump." Some stump! The church is impressive, nonetheless, both inside and outside. And historically: the Massachusetts Bay Colony was born from the Stump, five of its members becoming Governors of Massachusetts, and all duly noted in the memorials. Renovation work was going on in the tower, and much in the nave was covered up. But it was market day in Boston, and the church was nonetheless a hive of activity.

View from the river

From the town market square

In its later history, 17th century, the Stump was a hotbed of radicalism and
religious reform: Puritans! And so fervent were they that they crossed the ocean
to the New World to found a "city upon a hill" [click to enlarge]

A little church history

Font

In the hall beneath the tower

Directly beneath the tower...now the coffee shop...

Children's area...everything now covered for the renovation

Yes! Among several fundraisers, they have a Lego project underway

Vicki does our part, pressing a piece into what will be a window

Nave ceiling

Quire, altar

Another of the fundraisers is selling off bits of the tower that are being replaced;
alas, not for people who live in small RVs

Interior grotesques

Ceiling above the quire and altar

Grotesques At St. Wulfram's

Or funny faces, as I prefer. St. Wulfram's has a line of them from one end of the church to the other, scores of them, some of the more amusing and provocative I've seen. I've added captions here and there; many just leave you speechless. Or wondering...what were they thinking? 12th-13th centuries.

Sonicare was popular even then; don't forget to floss

On the phone

Headphones

Bad hair

Still processing this one

Updated

Along just one bay...as I said, scores of them, each different

New, deathly pose

Obviously dogs have been fetching tennis balls far longer than we thought

Muzzled?

Embrace? Or maybe stranglehold?

Male version of Sheela-na-gig? Heela-na-gig?

Group activity

Sheela?

?

?

Grantham St. Wulfram's Parish Church

St. Wulfram's is another five-banger. It was near Peterborough, and we'd been there before, way back when, and we couldn't find a place to park our Roadtrek. Something about Sir Isaac Newton. This time we found street parking with ease, just a few hundred feet from the church. St. Wulfram's gets it five Jenkins stars largely for having the tallest of all English steeples, 283 feet. It was erected, so to speak, in the first quarter of the 14th century, and Jenkins speculates it may have been the tallest building in England until the 20th century. I've noticed that nearly all of the five star churches we've visited so far have something to do with size.... Be that as it may, our visit to St. Wolfram's was altered somewhat by our arriving after visiting hours and touring during the rehearsal of the mixed young person's choir, I mean, quire. The church was interesting and impressive, and the music, though halting and repetitious, was beautifully punctuated by giggles. A treat we didn't want to intrude upon. St. Wulfram, BTW, was bishop at Sens in the 8th century, and a missionary to the Frisians, the original speakers of what we now know as English. They murdered him. In any case, it really ties so many things together. The steeple notwithstanding, what I found most interesting about St. Wulframs was the line of funny faces, grotesques, that wrap around the building. Some of the best we have seen on this campaign and worthy of a separate post.

North aisle, off of which the north porch is the visitor center

Helpful model

Ad majorem gloriam Dei

Some work still to be done on the north porch addition

Interestingly carved chair

In the south aisle

Quietly peering over into the chancel and quire

Kitchen

Click to enlarge and read about the gendered first editions of James I's Bible, as
produced by the King's Printer

Original organization chart

Looking into the gallery

Rare view into font hood

We are all works in progress

Across the street, The King's School; what they don't tell you is that it was from
the steeple at St. Wulfram's that young Isaac dropped apples and oranges,
attempting to gather evidence for his Theory of Differential  Gravity