Ickleford

I loved St Katherine up to and including the ugly cement render - a large part of this unconditional love is the setting of old, and majestic, cedars. Inside it's a bit antiseptic but the south and north doors are palpably Norman, as is the chancel arch, and there are some good corbels. Not an outstanding church but for all that lovely.

ST KATHERINE. Nicely placed amid cedar trees. Not very attractive plastered exterior. The interesting history of the church becomes more evident as one enters. The S doorway and a blocked N doorway are C12 with inner zig-zag arches. The S doorway has in addition three orders of scalloped columns outside and three orders of zigzag voussoirs. The W tower has one lancet window on the S side, the chancel one on the N side. The chancel arch is also clearly C13. Nave roof on stone corbels and S porch C15; S aisle and S chapel. 1859 (by Sir G. G. Scott). - STAINED GLASS. W window, 1898, by Kempe. - PLATE. Cup, 1798. - BRASS. Thomas Somer and wife, late C14, demi-figures (nave, E end)ɫ.

Ickleford. Passing along an avenue of cedars from where the road widens in the middle of the village, we come to the ancient church. The nave is mid-12th century, the chancel and tower are early 13th century, and the south porch was added about 1450. In 1859 Sir Gilbert Scott heavily restored the fabric and added the south aisle, chapel, and north vestry in a Norman manner. Grotesque stone creatures hold up the 16th-century roof, and on the oor are the brass portraits of a 14th-century couple, Thomas Somer and his
wife ɫ.

A worn stone marks the grave of a gipsy king, who was born on the Six Hills of Stevenage the year after King James II fled, lived to see the American War of Independence, lived on through the reigns of three Georges, and travelled nearly every road in England till he died at 90. They carried him at last along the Icknield Way and laid him here, with his name, Henry Boswell, on his stone.

The pleasant new cottages do not spoil the attractiveness of Ickleford, and for company they have an old timbered inn, and a gabled house with 1599 over an oriel window.

ɫ The brass is now under carpet.

Flickr.