Nestled in Herefordshire on the west boundary of England, up against Wales, and situated near the Wye River, is the little village of Brockhampton. In the little village of Brockhampton, there is a church – the church of All Saints. And inside the church of All Saints are some interesting textile-related items.
Today, thanks to Jac, who recently visited the church and took pictures, we get to travel to Brockhampton vicariously. Come along – let’s look at this pretty little church and its interior treasures!
The church of All Saints in Brockhampton is of interesting note for a number of reasons. The church was the last major work designed by William Lethaby, architect of the late 1800′s – early 1900′s, during the Arts & Crafts Movement in England. The little church, in its design, layout, and situation, stands as a kind of transitional bridge between the historic and modern, typical of the Arts & Crafts Movement.
The church, built by one Alice Foster and dedicated to her parents, was finished and consecrated in 1902.
Inside the church are numerous carved wooden panels that depict various wildflowers in England.
These wood panels lead us to some of the embroidered items we’ll be looking at today.
What happened was this: some time in the 1950′s, an anonymous embroiderer who appreciated the numerous wood carvings of English wildflowers throughout the church, and who also appreciated the fact that the church was left open for visitors, created a number of embroidered items based on the wildflower theme presented in the wooden carvings and donated these embroidered items to the church, where they are still in use.
On the back wall inside the church, two samplers of embroidered wildflowers are framed and on display.
Embroidered cushions adorn the pews in the church. The cushions feature, again, wildflowers, as well as biblical quotes.
The embroidery is simple, but beautiful – very colorful, very clear…
… and very abundant. They reflect a great amount of time, and a great amount of love. The church must have been quite dear to the person who stitched these!
The biblical quotes come from the gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 6, towards the end of the chapter, probably from around verse 26-28 onwards. The words are suitable for the embroidery and the setting: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…”
The colors on the embroideries are still so vivid!
And the embroiderer – well, she was certainly quite busy. All the hymnals have individual embroidered covers as well!
Another beautiful example of embroidery in the church can be found on the altar frontal.
The altar frontal is worked in gold and metal threads and appliqué.
The dimension achieved on these grapes is amazing!
Here, you can get a clearer idea of the threads and the leather appliqué used to create the grapes.
If you look behind the altar here, off to the left, you’ll see another textile treasure that the church of All Saints holds. There are two tapestries set in the back wall, flanking the altar. These tapestries were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by the William Morris Company. They are gorgeous! I’ve provided some links below, where you can see clear photos of the tapestries.
In doing a bit of digging to find out a little more about the church of All Saints, I came across the following video on YouTube, showing some of the embroideries and so forth.
The charm of the church of All Saints in Brockhampton is undeniable – and in fact, it is considered such an idyllic setting that the church has been recreated in Japan, in a skyscraper! Apparently, the point was to provide couples with that serene “English village setting” for their nuptials, without their having to travel all the way to England.
