St Peter's is the oldest church in Shaftesbury, where there were eleven churches in mediaeval times. It was built at the top of Gold Hill as a pilgrim church outside the wall of the Benedictine Abbey. John Schip is the first known incumbent (1305). There is evidence of an earlier building on this site, confirmed by the recent discovery of ancient foundations under the nave floor.
Of the present structure, the lower part of the tower is the oldest; the Nave and its arcades are of the 14th century, the Clerestory was added in the 15th/16th centuries. The panelled oak roofs of the Nave and the North Aisle are also of the same date. When restoration took place the North Parapet could not be retained due to the poor state of the stone.
It is evident the town experienced great poverty in the 14th and 15th centuries, and St Peter's parish was the poorest of all. Taxes could not be maintained and the French war and then the Black Death of 1348 - 1357 which deprived the town of masons and depleted the population were major disasters. •Strangely enough, money seemed to be available at the beginning and end of each century; and to these periods are assigned the decorated and perpendicular styles of building in the church; cl300, c1400, cl500.
Entrance
The North door opens into a lobby, the walls of which have been skilfully constructed from an oak panelled reredos from Holy Trinity Church in Bimport, the former parish church of Shaftesbury. Above the roof of the lobby are some mediaeval beach ends.
The Tower
The lowest part of the tower is the oldest part of the church, dating from 1304. Its proportions are unusually wide and squat In the tower are six bells with the following inscriptions;
1. "A wonder great my eye I fix. where was but 3 you may see six". 1684 T.P.
2. "When I do ring, prepare to pray". RATE. 1670.
3 and 4. William Cocky of Frome. 1738.
5. "While thus we join in chearful sound, may love and loyalty abound". H. Oram. c warden. R. Wells Aldboume. fecit MDCCLXVI.
6. "When you hear for me to tolle, then pray to God to save the soul". Anno Domini 1672, TH/RW/CW/TP.
The bells are recognised as some of the best in Dorset. They were rehung in 1926.
Font
An interesting 15th century Font of Purbeck marble with an earlier base, can be seen, in the North Aisle. This was moved to its present position in the 1970s, when the church was renovated. Hutchins, the antiquarian, identified an engraving of a Font from Holy Trinity Church. This is thought to be the one now in St Peter's.
North Aisle
The ceiling was restored, and the windows reglazed also in the 1970s renovations. There are several niches on the North and East walls for the figures of saints, indicating the positions of previous chantry altars. Obits were recorded here, masses recited for the dead and alms distributed to the poor. At the east end, there is a brass relating to Stephen Payne Armiger, died 1509, son of Richard Payne, the last steward of the Abbey.
North Arcade
By the far west column there is a pit in the floor (press the switch on the plinth of the column to illuminate). You will see one of the oldest worked stones in Shaftesbury - now part of the arcade foundation - formerly from the shaft of a column in an earlier building on the site. Experts have expressed the opinion that it is not later than the 12th century, probably very much earlier.
Nave Chancel
There are four pointed arches on each side with perpendicular columns and rather crude capitals. The clerestory and the windows are of a later date. Look up and observe the oak-beamed, oak panelled roof. The 15th century East window contains some painted or stained glass, formerly in the North Aisle: -
1. Our Lady at a desk,
2. The emblem of the Trinity.
3. The five wounds.
4. Coat of arms of the Fitzjames family (Sir John Fitzjames was chief justice of the King's bench, who died in 1538).
On the East wall, the late 18th century Reredos thought to have come from Holy Trinity Church. As the Holy Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1842, it was probably in an earlier building on that site. Note the well-preserved gold lettering.
The Pulpit has been made from an earlier three-decker pulpit.
South Aisle
The South Aisle was originally similar in width and construction to the North Aisle. It was widened in the 18th or 19th century. The present roof of modem construction replaces the old one which was on the point of collapse-It was painted, and new mouldings fitted, in 1990. There was at one time a gallery along the South wall, used by the Blue-coat School boys. Panelling on the East wall has been reconstructed from panels from the old pulpit and others on the South wall.
The British Legion War Memorial from Holy Trinity has been adapted to fit in the South wall with panelling taken from the same church.
The platform in the South-west comer was constructed to support a pipe organ which has been built incorporating parts from the Holy Trinity organ.
The Organ - Notes provided by Organist, Barry Ferguson
This 3-manual and pedal instrument has been built and maintained by Deny Thompson, of Bridport It consists entirely of parts from several redundant organs of which the Case, Pedal Bourdon and its chest, and the keyboards came from Holy Trinity Church nearby, as well as nine ranks of pipes. The Swell organ soundboard and swell box came from St Augustine's, Bournemouth; the Oboe units from St Martin's, Bryanston, and the console shell from Lyme Regis Roman Catholic Church. The Choir Tremulant was a Christmas present in 1994 from an anonymous donor.
Deny Thompson continues to carry out subtle tonal adjustments and improvements. This fine instrument, like the church itself, is bright, clear and intimate in quality.
The Crypt
This was sold to the church authorities in 1907 for the sum of £50. Previously this was a cellar used by the Sun & Moon Inn next door, now a private house. The staircase leading to the Crypt chapel has been reconstructed to obtain headroom under the organ.
By the half-landing is a sealed doorway with Queen Anne's Coat of Arms above. It formerly connected the church to an earlier building on the site of the Sun & Moon Cottage in Gold Hill, probably a clergy house.
At the foot of the stairs is a squint.
Items in the Crypt:
The curved oak beam opposite the stairs is over a former fireplace in which the ale was probably brewed.
The big relieving arch spans a large mediaeval pit, some 10 ft across, which was excavated to a depth of several feet.
A similar, but smaller, pit was found here. (The floor of the Crypt has been reconstructed with reinforced concrete).
At the Eastern end of the Crypt, observe the indents near the ceiling which formerly took the joists of the old floor.
The visitor should now return to the area under the tower.
Commemorative Plaque
This records gratitude to those who were instrumental in the work of restoration.
West Door
Over the West door is a hatchment brought from Holy Trinity Church, and the Coat of Arms of George II.
West Porch
The West door was the main entrance until the Guildhall was erected alongside the church in 1827. The porch has a handsome fan vaulted ceiling of Tudor design, a holy water stoup and some oak gates dating from 1753.
Outside
After leaving by the North door, turn left to the nearby comer of the North Aisle;. look up and you will see the "Sleeping Monk", a legendary figure, possibly a holy water stoup.
The weather-vane on the Tower was erected by the Friends of St Peter's in 1975.
From a leaflet obtained in the church circa 2006.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Citadel of Montreuil-sur-Mer, France
The citadel of Montreuil is built on a 50 meter rise which dominates the Canche valley. With its natural defence provided by the Canche marshes to the north and the dry valley of the Madelaine to the west, it is joined to the town in the south east. Construction of the citadel began in 1567. It is a complex structure which was die result of seven different campaigns of construction. It succeeds the early XIIIth century royal castle, of which some elements remain. Built straddling the limits of the town, it has two distinct fronts of attack, one facing the town and the other facing open country. Altered several times up to the end of the XIXth century the citadel was de-militarised in 1929, three years after being classified as a Historical Monument.
The gate
The principal entrance to the citadel faces the town. The engineers have placed an accumulation of obstacles in front of this vulnerable point. The gate is framed by two half-bastions. Under Vauban, this system was complemented by a demi-lune, an advanced triangular shaped fortification work which protects the two curtains between the two bastions. The gate is composed of two separate openings, a carriage gateway and a postern gate which is now walled up, an arrangement which is a vestige of the Middle Ages. Access to the citadel was defended by a cantilever draw-bridge, which was replaced by an earth embankment in 1894. The gate retains the embrasures through which the cantilever arms, wooden beams connected to the drawbridge by chains, operated. Inside, the archway and the walls still bear the traces of the vertical channels within which a portcullis operated. The whole is completed by a guard-house which was added in the XVIIIth century.
The Castle of Philippe Auguste
After the entry of the town into the royal domain in 987 on the accession of Hugues Capet, a royal castle was built. It is first mentioned with certainty in 1042.
Until 1204, Montreuil was die only royal possession in the north of France. This strategic position very quickly placed the town at the heart of a conflict between the Capetians and the English Plantagenets, allied to the Counts of Flanders, of Boulogne and Ponthieu. This threat persuaded Philippe Auguste to build a new royal castle which is in part preserved within the 1567 citadel.
Two massive towers bracket the broken arch entrance. This polygonal castle, in the image of the slightly later one at Boulogne-sur-Mer, was separated from the town by a ditch. At each of its angles there was a salient, multi-level, round tower, with radiating archery slits. Originally built exclusively in sandstone, the various defensive changes of the XVIth century have necessitated the reconstruction of the upper parts in brick.
Queen Berthe's tower
This gate tower which is equipped with many systems of defence, has served as access to the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer for a long period. It was called the castle gate because of its proximity to Philippe Auguste's castle. Built in the middle of the XIVth. century its volume and the thickness of its walls are the solution provided by its architects to the evolution in the means of attack and especially the significant development of the cannon. During the construction of the citadel, this gate which gives access directly to the interior of the fortress, was judged to be dangerous and was closed as early as 1599. It preserves the memory of Berthe of Holland, wife of Philippe 1st, the King of France, who was repudiated in 1091 and who died at Montreuil in 1094. Legend has it that she was locked up in this tower.
Tower E
In the XVth Century, progress in artillery forced military engineers to imagine makeshift solutions. The technique developed was the raising of masses of earth behind walls in order to make them more resistant to cannon fire. The height of the curtains and of the towers was reduced to present a smaller target for the enemy's projectiles. The towers were filled with earth to provide solid emplacements for artillery pieces. Tower E illustrates this architectural evolution. Originally completely in sandstone and taller, it was refaced in brick at the end of the XVth century.
The bastions of the citadel
Italian engineers provided a final response to the problem of artillery by inventing the bastion. The circular hollow towers were replaced by vast pentagonal fortification works filled with earth on which multiple cannons were sited. These bastions axe separated by curtains which they protect with their fire. Their angular de¬sign permits the resolution of the problem of dead ground. From this time on the enemy was exposed to the defender's fire, whatever their position.
In the XVIth. Century, the proximity of the frontier of the Spanish low-countries, a dozen kilometers from Montreuil, induced King Charles IX (1559-1574) to improve the defences of the town. In 1567, he built a citadel with five bastions. Its design in the shape of a star, represented the latest innovations in terms of defence. The safety exit, built at the extremity of the bastion as an extension of the castle gate, provides an exit to the country in case of an attack on the town.
As in all the citadels built at the same time, the body of the fortress is enclosed by advanced defensive works designed to slow the progress of the attacker and to delay the crossing of the ditch. On the outside edge of the ditch, the covered way houses defenders armed with muskets protecting the glacis, vast areas of slightly sloped terrain arranged around the fortress.
The White Tower
It is the colour of the chalk that gives its name to the White Tower. This tower was part of the town before being absorbed into the citadel. Rebuilt around 1500, it has kept its XIIIth century sandstone base with its archery slits. The ground floor, with its ogival roof vaults illustrates the adaptation of the new techniques of defence. The archery slits have here given way to cannon ports, circular openings surmounted by observation slits. On the second floor, the guard-house topped, by a pepper-pot roof, has given in to the desire for comfort and has several windows and a fireplace.
The rampart-walk
Its construction in the XVIth. century required the lowering of the towers of the royal castle. It is supported by a series of massive brick arches. Without any real defensive advantage in modern times, it facilitates movement along the northern front of attack. Its commanding position over the surroundings allowed warnings of attack to be given. From the rampart-walk can be seen from the east to the west, the lighthouse at le Touquet, the sea-side towns, the wind farm at Widehem, la Canche, the Carthusian monastery of Notre-Dame des Pres at Neuville-sous-Montreuil and the forest of Hesdin.
The casemates
Integrated into the bastion, the casemates are made up of five chambers arranged in line, covered by cradle vaulted ceilings. Each chamber was built or two levels separated by a moveable floor, which is today no longer present. The firing slits are surmounted by an opening which permitted the evacuation of the gun-smoke They ensured the defence of the ditch nearest to the fortification.
Their construction was ordered in 1844 by Louis Philippe 1st who feared an attack on France by Prussia. During the first world war they housed the communications centre of the British General Headquarters in Europe.
The arsenal
The citadel of Montreuil is equipped with an arsenal, a building housing arms and military equipment. Built in the reign of Louis XIV, it originally had two floors.
The chapel
The chapel dates from 1764. This rectangular building has a neo-classical facade.
The powder magazine
Constructed around 1670, the powder magazine is built on the lines of those of Vauban in the Alps, particularly that at Mount Dauphin.
It is surrounded by an isolation wall, through which there is an entrance defended by a sentry-box. The building is braced by nine massive buttresses with a passage between them and the building. The roof vault is very high and is covered with earth so that projectiles will bury themselves without exploding. The floor was raised in order to avoid rising damp.
GLOSSARY
Dead ground : Terrain not reachable by defensive fire from a fortification.
Bastion : A five sided, masonry covered, earth-work fortification.
Curtain : A wall of fortification between two towers ot two bastions.
Demi-lune : A low, triangular work of fortification placed in front of a curtain and between two bastions.
Service d'Animation du Patrimoine et des Musees de la ville de Montreuil-sur-Mer, taken from leaflet circa 2004.
The gate
The principal entrance to the citadel faces the town. The engineers have placed an accumulation of obstacles in front of this vulnerable point. The gate is framed by two half-bastions. Under Vauban, this system was complemented by a demi-lune, an advanced triangular shaped fortification work which protects the two curtains between the two bastions. The gate is composed of two separate openings, a carriage gateway and a postern gate which is now walled up, an arrangement which is a vestige of the Middle Ages. Access to the citadel was defended by a cantilever draw-bridge, which was replaced by an earth embankment in 1894. The gate retains the embrasures through which the cantilever arms, wooden beams connected to the drawbridge by chains, operated. Inside, the archway and the walls still bear the traces of the vertical channels within which a portcullis operated. The whole is completed by a guard-house which was added in the XVIIIth century.
The Castle of Philippe Auguste
After the entry of the town into the royal domain in 987 on the accession of Hugues Capet, a royal castle was built. It is first mentioned with certainty in 1042.
Until 1204, Montreuil was die only royal possession in the north of France. This strategic position very quickly placed the town at the heart of a conflict between the Capetians and the English Plantagenets, allied to the Counts of Flanders, of Boulogne and Ponthieu. This threat persuaded Philippe Auguste to build a new royal castle which is in part preserved within the 1567 citadel.
Two massive towers bracket the broken arch entrance. This polygonal castle, in the image of the slightly later one at Boulogne-sur-Mer, was separated from the town by a ditch. At each of its angles there was a salient, multi-level, round tower, with radiating archery slits. Originally built exclusively in sandstone, the various defensive changes of the XVIth century have necessitated the reconstruction of the upper parts in brick.
Queen Berthe's tower
This gate tower which is equipped with many systems of defence, has served as access to the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer for a long period. It was called the castle gate because of its proximity to Philippe Auguste's castle. Built in the middle of the XIVth. century its volume and the thickness of its walls are the solution provided by its architects to the evolution in the means of attack and especially the significant development of the cannon. During the construction of the citadel, this gate which gives access directly to the interior of the fortress, was judged to be dangerous and was closed as early as 1599. It preserves the memory of Berthe of Holland, wife of Philippe 1st, the King of France, who was repudiated in 1091 and who died at Montreuil in 1094. Legend has it that she was locked up in this tower.
Tower E
In the XVth Century, progress in artillery forced military engineers to imagine makeshift solutions. The technique developed was the raising of masses of earth behind walls in order to make them more resistant to cannon fire. The height of the curtains and of the towers was reduced to present a smaller target for the enemy's projectiles. The towers were filled with earth to provide solid emplacements for artillery pieces. Tower E illustrates this architectural evolution. Originally completely in sandstone and taller, it was refaced in brick at the end of the XVth century.
The bastions of the citadel
Italian engineers provided a final response to the problem of artillery by inventing the bastion. The circular hollow towers were replaced by vast pentagonal fortification works filled with earth on which multiple cannons were sited. These bastions axe separated by curtains which they protect with their fire. Their angular de¬sign permits the resolution of the problem of dead ground. From this time on the enemy was exposed to the defender's fire, whatever their position.
In the XVIth. Century, the proximity of the frontier of the Spanish low-countries, a dozen kilometers from Montreuil, induced King Charles IX (1559-1574) to improve the defences of the town. In 1567, he built a citadel with five bastions. Its design in the shape of a star, represented the latest innovations in terms of defence. The safety exit, built at the extremity of the bastion as an extension of the castle gate, provides an exit to the country in case of an attack on the town.
As in all the citadels built at the same time, the body of the fortress is enclosed by advanced defensive works designed to slow the progress of the attacker and to delay the crossing of the ditch. On the outside edge of the ditch, the covered way houses defenders armed with muskets protecting the glacis, vast areas of slightly sloped terrain arranged around the fortress.
The White Tower
It is the colour of the chalk that gives its name to the White Tower. This tower was part of the town before being absorbed into the citadel. Rebuilt around 1500, it has kept its XIIIth century sandstone base with its archery slits. The ground floor, with its ogival roof vaults illustrates the adaptation of the new techniques of defence. The archery slits have here given way to cannon ports, circular openings surmounted by observation slits. On the second floor, the guard-house topped, by a pepper-pot roof, has given in to the desire for comfort and has several windows and a fireplace.
The rampart-walk
Its construction in the XVIth. century required the lowering of the towers of the royal castle. It is supported by a series of massive brick arches. Without any real defensive advantage in modern times, it facilitates movement along the northern front of attack. Its commanding position over the surroundings allowed warnings of attack to be given. From the rampart-walk can be seen from the east to the west, the lighthouse at le Touquet, the sea-side towns, the wind farm at Widehem, la Canche, the Carthusian monastery of Notre-Dame des Pres at Neuville-sous-Montreuil and the forest of Hesdin.
The casemates
Integrated into the bastion, the casemates are made up of five chambers arranged in line, covered by cradle vaulted ceilings. Each chamber was built or two levels separated by a moveable floor, which is today no longer present. The firing slits are surmounted by an opening which permitted the evacuation of the gun-smoke They ensured the defence of the ditch nearest to the fortification.
Their construction was ordered in 1844 by Louis Philippe 1st who feared an attack on France by Prussia. During the first world war they housed the communications centre of the British General Headquarters in Europe.
The arsenal
The citadel of Montreuil is equipped with an arsenal, a building housing arms and military equipment. Built in the reign of Louis XIV, it originally had two floors.
The chapel
The chapel dates from 1764. This rectangular building has a neo-classical facade.
The powder magazine
Constructed around 1670, the powder magazine is built on the lines of those of Vauban in the Alps, particularly that at Mount Dauphin.
It is surrounded by an isolation wall, through which there is an entrance defended by a sentry-box. The building is braced by nine massive buttresses with a passage between them and the building. The roof vault is very high and is covered with earth so that projectiles will bury themselves without exploding. The floor was raised in order to avoid rising damp.
GLOSSARY
Dead ground : Terrain not reachable by defensive fire from a fortification.
Bastion : A five sided, masonry covered, earth-work fortification.
Curtain : A wall of fortification between two towers ot two bastions.
Demi-lune : A low, triangular work of fortification placed in front of a curtain and between two bastions.
Service d'Animation du Patrimoine et des Musees de la ville de Montreuil-sur-Mer, taken from leaflet circa 2004.
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