Halsall Chancel
Viola self seeded into dock leaves
Back to Halsall Church
We are about to go into the chancel- the oldest bit on the right of the plan I posted earlier. The above is on your left.
This display is on your right.
Church organ on the left.
Tonsured figure of around 1520 according to the detailed description of the church here. It says that it didn’t originally go here.
Medieval pews.
The Medieval finial with more modern pews in the background. The winged lion is a symbol of St Mark.
Some of the Medieval tiled floor was exposed.
Post medieval pew carvings.
An eagle is usually St John and an angel for St Matthew.
The bull is often a symbol for St Luke
The gorgeous vestry door. Dear Santa…….
The vestry arch- note the worn chanel on the step.
The altar. The tonsured figure is on the left in the just visable niche. You can just see Henry’s legs at the bottom right. There are lots of boxes of food donated to the church to be distributed to the needy of the parish. Harvest festival is about sharing your harvest (traditionally the church got a tithe 10% which was stored in a tithe barn). lots of pics in link.
The window of the altar facing East.
This small window is above the previous one but is only visable from outside. I think it might be of a figure digging.
The altar with a rare display of “the church plate”- the historical church silver usually kept in a bank vault. There is a 7 part foldable painting on wood like the portable 3 part (triptych) common in medieval times, but I think this one may be Victorian but in the style of the Medieval. Can you add anything Margaret as it’s your area?
Late C15th misericord carving the link explains how they were used. These ones originally came from Burscough Priory now a ruin thanks to Henry VIII. The bells went to Ormskirk Church which is why it has the archiectural oddity of havig a spire and a bell tower at the same end of it’s church. The land slopes away dramatically at the other end.
Misericords down.
Pictures of the carvings when the seats are up. An angel with a key in each hand, and wearing a cap with a cross
a fox and goose
a flying eagle
A bearded head. I think this one may be related to the Green Man sort of symbology of everlasting life where a more pagan symbol was adopted by Christianity. Here and here give more info.
wrestlers backed by two ‘religious’– rare. I think there are only 4 known of this age.
Just look at the age on this Medieval desk top!
Sir Henry Halsall 1523 and his wife Margaret nee Stanley.
Beautiful colours and a few crows!
This was the only angle I could take the both of them from.
A more full shot of the floor.
Window on your right in the South wall of the chancel.
More South wall.
The imp below is on the outside of the above window. The link has a whole page about why an imp was on a church.
Next time we finish with the last of the South side of the church.
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