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St Andrew’s Church, Pickworth |
The rood screen, restored in 1960s |
The present building, on the site of an earlier church, is in the Decorated style of the 13th and 14th centuries. Situated on the eastern edge of the village, its broach spire is a feature visible from the surrounding higher land. Within the church are unrestored early benches and a plain 13th century font. The delicately carved medieval rood screen was skilfully restored in 1964. An interesting feature is an early 15th statue of a female saint whose head is missing.
St Andrew’s, Pickworth, is now one of the 15 churches that comprise the parish of South Lafford.
A guide leaflet is available in the church.
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A demon forcing the damned into the mouth of hell |
The cauldron of God’s wrath: part of the medieval wall painting in Pickworth church |
The St Andrew’s Medieval Wall Paintings:
These date from the late 14th century, and depict scenes from the Bible and lives of the saints. They were obscured during the obliteration of ‘popish images’ in the mid-16th century, and were rediscovered 400 years later when a bomb exploded nearby during the Second World War, shaking off some of the paint and plaster. Conservation work on the murals has continued periodically since that time.
A guide to the paintings is available in the church.