TICKENCOTE. CHURCH : ST PETER
Tickencote is the most exquisite village that you could wish to see, nestling in beautiful countryside, just three miles or so from Stamford. I had been tipped off that this church was a little bit special, "a little bit special" does not do this little beauty justice. The church of St Peter is not a large church, but it has features that make it an absolute must visit for anyone interested in visiting churches.
Doing a little internet research before my visit, I saw a web site that suggested that this church had the biggest "Wow Factor" of any church in the area. Now, that might not be a recognised piece of terminology in Churchcrawling but it is a very accurate term. When I walked in to the church, the huge six tiered Chancel Arch just takes the breath away. The arch was built between 1130 and 1150, according to the very informative guide that was on sale in the church, and it is thought that the weight of the whole thing is so much that it has settled out of it's original shape a little over the years.
Some superb Vaulting is to be found in the Chancel, and apparantly this is a very rare find in Rutland. Lots of stained glass of very high quality are also to be found here.
The exterior is very ornate, all the way round. My favourite exterior feature though was the East End wall, very ornate, and with some very nice stone heads.
There cannot be many nicer places to spend a hot Summer Sunday afternoon than the area around Tickencote. The view from the back of the church grounds is breathtaking, with a huge lake close by, and the view is such that a bench is provided at the back of the church, but this faces away from the church so that people can enjoy the view.
Absolute bliss.....why go abroad when there is this on the doorstep!!
St Peter's Church, Tickencote, Drawings 1996-7 by P.K.Rollings. 32 pages black & white A5 booklet, illustrated.
Tucked away in a little valley in those mysterious hills in the north-eastern corner of Rutland, and a few miles west of Stamford, Tickencote Church is literally one of the hidden gems of British architecture. Small, somewhat veiled by trees & buildings, its extraordinary wealth of carved monsters & characters & archways might elude the tourist & explorer. What was need was a pioneer to bring its wonders to the attention of the wider public.
Rutland admirer Peter K. Rollings became interested in ancient stonework in 1987, when on an unemployed scheme he was set to work drawing & describing church features & fittings. Gargoyles & stone labyrinths perfectly led on from his childhood interest in dinosaurs & astronomy. Many books about churches give pride of place to the amazing stonework of Tickencote, & Peter made his first visit there in 1989. As his drawing skills improved, it became clear that Tickencote was THE place to draw. The greatest challenge.
This booklet contains the series of drawings that Peter commenced in 1996. Contains them just, for their profusion of incredible detail seems about to break out of the 32 A5 pages he has managed to squeeze them into. Many historic buildings have a guide book, but few can boast the intense attention to detail that swarms across these pages. Peter set out to draw & describe all of Tickencote Church's ancient stonework, and he has emphatically succeeded. Anyone wanting to understand ancient stonework will likely find more understanding in these 32 pages than in 320 pages of any other architecture book.
Peter does not set out to de-mystify the place. The stony ideas & architectural experiments that contort around Tickencote's archways are its greatest ingredient. To try to put names & dates, & make it into yet another tidy, intrigueless history would take away much of its tourist pulling power. Each visitor can come up with their own theories, just as valid as those of the 'experts'.
'St Peter's Church, Tickencote, Drawings 1996-7' is available for a £3.14 cheque to Peter K. Rollings, PO Box 318, Peterborough, PE1 2YG. Email pkrollings@yahoo.co.uk, website www.geocities.com/pkrollings.
