Staring eye above square and slab-like teeth. Grotesque face, sculpted in the 1100s, decorates corbel in the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Shipley, West Sussex, England, one of the oldest Norman churches in Sussex.
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shipley, West Sussex, England: Norman grotesque face, sculpted in the 1100s, decorates corbel supporting the Romanesque tower arch of a church built by the Knights Templar. St Mary the Virgin is one of the oldest Norman churches in Sussex. A church was first mentioned in 1073 when William de Braose, a powerful Norman supporter of William the Conqueror, was given the manor of Shipley soon after the Battle of Hastings. He and his son took part in the crusades and were benefactors of the church. The de Braose estates at Shipley were passed to the Knights Templar in about 1139 and they rebuilt the church in about 1140. In the reign of Edward II (1294-1327), the church passed to the Knights Hospitallers, who held it until 1540. A north aisle with a Gothic arcade was added during the 1800s. Shipley is a village about seven miles south of Horsham. It takes its name from a Saxon word meaning “sheep pasture”.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shipley, West Sussex, England
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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