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PORCHES: Porches were constricted for the main entrance to the
church according to the convenience of parishioners; the majority
have been built on the south western side of the nave. The beginning
ceremonies for baptisms and marriages may have been conducted at the porch.
Churching, mentioned by Margery Kempe (Ch. 82),
the reception of a woman into the church after childbirth, was also located
at the porch. The practice was based on the events in the Gospel
of Luke (2:22-24) describing the Purification of the Virgin who came to
the Temple after the birth of Christ and offered “a pair of turtle doves
or two young pigeons.” The stone porches most commonly built in the
15th century have canopied niches that once contained statues of
saints. Flushwork, mixing the dark native flint contrasted
with freestone, very often produced striking visual patterns as well as
the possibilities of armorials and inscriptions.
3a East Harling, Sts. Peter and Paul, c. 1460,
porch (to south) |
