Bartlow-St.Mary
Yes, it's round.
Round towers are mainly an East Anglian phenomenon, Norfolk and Suffolk have the lion's share with 120 and 43
respectively. They are something of a rarity in Cambridgeshire, only two survive - here at Bartlow and north of
Newmarket at Snailwell. There was at least one more at Westley Waterless until 1855. It's probably no co-incidence
that all three villages are very close to the Suffolk border.
This tower is Norman, it is tall, and tapers unevenly towards the top where it is crowned with a much later octagonal
brick parapet complete with little battlements. There are tiny quatrefoil windows dotted around the upper stages, and
the simple bell-openings are filled with rather dishevelled grilles of wooden slats. The Decorated west window lower
down was inserted later. If it were possible for a tower to be relaxed, this is it.
St Mary is a dark, small church, all Decorated in style, but restored quite heavily in 1879 according to Pevsner. There
are some fine earlier survivals however. In the chancel, there are bits of medieval glass surviving in the tops of the
windows. There are some coats of arms and bits and bobs of architectural detail which must once have formed canopies
for images of saints. More exciting are the leering demons' heads in the tracery above, and some sad looking heads of
Christ and angels. They are delicately painted, and rather fine - what a pity that more doesn't survive.
Dowsing did for at least a few of them on the 20th of March 1643 when he and his friends: ' brake down a crucifix,
and a Holy Lamb, and 10 superstitious pictures, and gave order to take downe three crosses in stone, and to level the
steps'. It's unlikely that he would have seen the fine 15th century wall-paintings in the nave, as these had probably
been whitewashed in the first flush of Protestant iconoclasm the century before. A few bits and bobs have now been
uncovered.
In his usual position opposite the south door, St Christopher gazes down at us. Only his head and shoulders remain,
and the whole thing is covered in a dark brown haze that looks like the consequence of a botched conservation job
(I believe that it was once considered wise to cover paintings with beeswax to preserve them from decaying once exposed
to the air - only subsequently was it discovered that this not only had a tendency to damage the pigment, but also that
the wax would darken and obscure the picture). The saint here hasn't faired as badly as some - it is still possible to
make out his cloak and staff and the smile he directs up to the child on his shoulder. Christ himself is dressed in a
rich robe of pale blue and gold, with an ermine mantle, and carries an orb as the symbol of his dominion.
To the west of the pair, there is a fainter painting of St Michael weighing the souls of the dead. By his side, the
Virgin Mary stands interceding for sinners - a favourite subject in England (a country so enthusiastically Marian in
its devotions that it was known as the Virgin's Dowry) .
My favourite painting in the church, though, is a great dragon opposite St Christopher. it must once have had a St.
George standing above it, but he has gone, and the whole thing is very faced - the dragon survives only as a silhouette,
and we can only see bits of the background, strange dark crosses and shapes that could be puffy red flowers. He's a very
fine dragon, though, huge-horned and wide-mouthed. Pevsner described him as 'ferocious and antediluvially large'.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list
Directions- After replacing the cache carefully, continue along the footpath until you reach the Bartlow Hills, Walk
eastwards between the first and second barrows and along a fenced path. A few yards before the road, turn left and climb
over a ridge and then up a slope to walk south through some woods, parallel to the road (there is another cache in this
area to find on your way through). At the end of the path go down the steps onto a drive and then bear right to pass
between a farmhouse and a curious little round tower. When you reach the farm track turn left and follow the track to
cache #13.