A day visit to Compton Parish Church-17.05.2016
Members gathering at the entrance to the church. The porch is a Victorian addition
The 17th C clock in the Saxon tower (10th C) is still in good working order and is wound by hand once a week
The chancel. The arch is Norman, the floor tiles Victorian
12th C wall paintings, restored in 1966
A “mass sundial” on the south wall of the church: insert a stick and the shadow shows you when to be at the church to attend mass
Highly unusual upper sanctuary with what is thought to be the oldest surviving decorative timberwork in Britain, dating from circa 1180
Our tour guide - Margaret
The upper and lower sanctuaries. Nobody seems to know why the upper one was ever built.
The “hagioscope” which allowed the anchorite (a holy lady literally walled up in a cell by the church wall) to observe the mass through a strategically-placed window
Close-up - beautifully preserved stained glass window of the baptism of Christ, in the west wall, dating from mid 17th C
beautifully preserved stained glass window of the baptism of Christ, in the west wall, dating from mid 17th C