St. George's Gt. Bromley
GREAT BROMLEY (St. George) is a fine, proud building
in the East Anglian style. It has a big west tower, a tall nave
with a tall clerestory of closely set windows, and a short chancel.
The west tower is spectacular, and starts at the base with a
quatrefoil frieze. The buttresses are clasping, but higher up they
become angle and diagonal. The west doorway has fleurons in the
jamb; arch mouldings; and a hood-mould on a griffin and an angel.
The west window has five-lights with panel tracery, and there are
three-light bell-openings with one transom. The battlements are
stepped with crocketed pinnacles. The south porch is all flushwork
panelled, and has a parapet instead of battlements. In a niche
above the doorway, St. George and the dragon are the spandrels.
There are standing figures ..... one of which is missing .... as
stops, and three-light side openings. The south doorway has fleurons
in one order, and a foliage trail in the other, both in the jambs
and voussoirs. And above it two re-set spandrel figures depicting
Adam and Eve. The south chapel has flushwork panelling at the base.
In the aisles are three-light windows with Perpendicular panel
tracery, but the patterns are different on the north and south
sides. The north door is minor, but has three orders of fleurons,
in jambs and voussoirs. There are two-light windows with one
transom in the chancel, and the east window is of the 19th.
century. The clerestory windows have two lights, but are not
in line with the arcades below. There are seven windows to three
bays. The south arcade is of the 14th. century, and the north
arcade is 15th. century. They both have octagonal piers, but
the proportions differ. The south piers have capitals which are
generously decorated with leaves, but the western one is different.
It has figures of angels; lions; a head with tongue out; a
dragon; and a frog biting him. The nave has a magnificent
double-hammerbeam roof. The west and north doors date back to
about 1500, and have elaborate traceries.
Brass in memory of William Bischopton
who died in 1432, has the figure of a priest, about 3ft. long,
under an arch, and a gable with concave sides, that are crocketed,
and were originally pinnacled.
Back
|