SU8485 : Church of All Saints, Bisham
taken 10 years ago, near to Bisham, Windsor And Maidenhead, England
The ancient church of All Saints dates to the 12th century.
The oldest and most interesting part is the tower, which really ought to be viewed from the Thames Path across the river to be fully appreciated. The rest of the church has been rebuilt several times, especially under Benjamin Ferrey in 1844.
The most interesting feature is the Hoby Chapel, which features a series of wonderful 16th and 17th century memorials. Among the earliest is that of Sir Thomas Hoby (d. 1568) and his wife, depicting the couple in a reclining pose. This is the first known use of a reclining pose in funerary effigies in post-medieval England.
Compare this to the memorial of Lady Elizabeth Russell and Lord John Russell (d. 1584) who are shown in a more traditional Elizabethan and Jacobean pose; depicted at prayer, facing each other in a kneeling position. There are numerous other memorials of interest, including Sir Philip Hoby (d. 1558). Most of the memorials are very well carved and are painted, with traces of gilding. Sir Philip and Sir Thomas Hoby are both shown with a hobby hawk at their feet. This is probably a pun on the family name, which is pronounced like 'hobby'.
One other feature of interest in the chapel is the lovely heraldic glass in the windows. This is not stained glass as we know it; rather, it is made with an enamelling process, and dates to 1609. Also of interest are 16th century memorial brasses to Thomas Crekett and John Brinkhurst. The former was a fishmonger in London, the latter a mercer in the same city.
Grade II* listed. Link
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link