St Peter, Ashburnham

[poliphilo]

It doesn't look it, but this (apart from the tower which is 200 years earlier) is a 17th century church- built by the Ashburnham family in 1665 to honour the old ways and house their dead. Here is one of their tombs- a little clunky if you look at the details- but in general terms rather splendidly and unEnglishly baroque- by a sculptor- J Bushell- who had trained in Italy.



The big house, Ashburnham Place, was largely demolished in the 1950s- a victim of dry rot and death duties- but the parkland- landscaped by Capability Brown- has been maintained. The remaining buildings now house a Christian conference centre and retreat house.

Here's the view from the churchyard.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean by clunky though it is splendid in its own odd way. The view from the churchyard is also splendid. Are those rapeseed fields?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, that'll be rapeseed. No other crop is so vividly yellow.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

...who had trained in Italy...

Though not quite for long enough, by the look of it. It is a wonderful memorial though, in its own way - I love the putto with buoyancy problems.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The man's grief is palpable and striking. Bushnell may have had problems with cherubs, but he got that right.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

St Margaret's Rochester has the same odd combo of mediaeval tower and much later chancel (18th century). Due to a fire in that case.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've come across a lot of churches where the tower is earlier- and sometimes later- than the body of the church.

The church at Wye- which I visited recently is medieval but with an 18th century chancel. St Mary of Charity in Faversham is medieval, but with a neo-classical nave...

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

It's certainly not uncommon.