Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck: Grade 1 Listed Gem

The Church of St Mary and St David in Kilpeck, Herefordshire is a magnificent Grade 1 listed structure.

The building is internationally known for its Romanesque sculpture both around the main door, inside on the chancel arch and outside for the unusual corbels under the roof edge.

In fact, the church attracts more than 1000 visitors a year, according to the National Churches Trust.

Nikolaus Pevsner, a famous historian, describes Kilpeck as "one of the most perfect Norman churches in England".

The whole church’s 'nave, chancel and apse' is pretty much as it was built in the early 1100s, and is astonishingly well preserved.

The church was built around 1140, and almost certainly before 1143 when it was given to the Abbey of Gloucestershire.

Around the 6th and 7th centuries the Kilpeck area was within the British kingdom of Ergyng, which maintained Christian traditions dating back to the late Roman period.

The possibility of the site holding Roman and even megalithic remains has been raised, but is unproven.

The carvings in the local red sandstone are remarkable for their number and their fine state of preservation, particularly round the south door, the west window, and along a row of corbels.

The carvings are all original and remain in their original positions.

The south door has double columns, and the outer columns have carvings of a series of snakes, heads swallowing tails.

In common with most of the other carvings, the meaning of these is unclear, but they may represent rebirth via the snake's seasonal sloughing of its skin.

The inner right column shows birds in foliage; at the top of the right columns is a green man.

The inner left column has two warriors who, unusually, are in loose trousers.

The outer sections of the arch above the doorway show creatures which can be interpreted as a manticore and a basilisk, and various other mythical and actual birds and beasts.

For many years, the south door was hidden by a wooden porch, but this was removed in 1868 to allow visitors to see the carvings as originally intended.

Although this has left the doorway exposed to the elements, the sandstone is exceptionally robust, and its condition is carefully monitored.

In 1968, a narrow protruding strip of lead was let into the mortar above the arch to protect the carvings from water running down the wall above.

Eighty-five corbels survive, one fewer than are illustrated by Lewis in 1842 (originally there were 91).

Next to look at on the outside are the carvings on the corbel table, which runs round the entire church below the roof line.

Here are men, animals and monsters. Some are clearly identifiable, others are more enigmatic.

A few are missing; it is said that some of the carvings were too earthy for a local Victorian lady and she had them removed, however one of the carvings, a sheilanagig, is very earthy indeed.

There is more superb carving inside the church, particularly the chancel arch and in the rib vaulting of the apse from a much earlier date are the font and the stoup, unmissable, with two enormous stone hands clasping the bowl.

The carvings have been attributed to a Herefordshire School of stonemasons, probably local but who may have been instructed by master masons recruited in France by Oliver de Merlimond.

He was steward to the Lord of Wigmore, Hugh Mortimer, who went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

On his return, he built a church with similar Romanesque carvings (now largely lost) at Shobdon, 30 miles north of Kilpeck.

Hugh de Kilpeck, a relative of Earl Mortimer, employed the same builders at Kilpeck, and their work is also known at Leominster, Rowlestone and elsewhere.

The writer Simon Jenkins notes the influences of churches found on the pilgrimage routes of Northern Europe.

The churchyard, meanwhile, contains the war grave of a World War II King’s Shropshire Light Infantry officer, west of the church.

The reviews on TripAdvisor are excellent, one recent visitor said: “If you are a church or medieval buff, you simply must not miss it but even if you are neither of these things, this amazing church will impress.

”The carvings are stunning and I would recommend purchasing the book in the church which, although aimed at children, points out some of the most notable points.

”Lovely to walk up to the castle remains afterwards for an amazing view of the countryside.”

Another person added: “This Norman church is a true treasure. My wife thought it was the best church we’ve visited. Very Romanesque, it’s far enough off the beaten track that you can visit in relative solitude.

”There was only one other couple there at the time of our visit which allowed me to soak of the peace and quiet while thinking of almost a 1000 years of worshipers who have attended services here.

”Highly recommended!”

A very simple belfry (a structure enclosing bells for ringing) now rises from the roof; although its design is in keeping with that of the rest of the church, it is a 19th-century addition.

Elsewhere too, the restoration and necessary modernisation of the church have conserved it well.

However, large parts of the original features remain and the sculptures are incredibly well-preserved - it’s well worth a visit!

If you’d like visit the church, the address is: Kilpeck HR2 9DN.

If you enjoyed this blog post, please follow Exploring GB on Facebook for daily travel content and inspiration.

Don’t forget to check out our latest blog posts below!

Thank you for visiting Exploring GB.