Welcome to Genuki, Lincolnshire A Description of Brant Broughton Church, Lincolnshire Provided by Renee Redshaw ---------------------------------------- BRANT BROUGHTON St.Helen Porch carving and gargoyles, interior by Bodley Brant Broughton is remarkable for two reasons. The exterior has superb 14th century decoration, a gallery of Gothic carving equal to Heckington and Sleaford. The interior is of the same period but carefully restored by a Victorian rector working with the architect G.F.Bodley. Brant Broughton is an example of what might have been done with so many 19th century ruins that were butchered or destroyed. It has a magnificent steeple with a fine soaring tower set back minimally behind the parapet. The crocketed outline and pinnacles, slightly askew, make the eye shoot upwards when seen directly from below. The Decorated tower, built just before the Black Death, is balanced by a symmetrical composition of nave and aisles added in the Perpendicular style. The porches match north and south and these porches are gems of 14th century architecture. They are stone vaulted with bosses and encrusted with animated carving. The bosses are so big as almost to fill the vault and Green Men guard the doors. So lifelike are many of the faces, so simple their tasks, like a sower or a drummer boy that they seem to be portraits. Yet they lie alongside monstrous beasts and distorted flowers. Over the south porch a man has his shirt raised and bottom exposed - what on earth was in the carver's mind? The second Brant Broughton is inside with careful application of Victorian to medieval architecture. The nave mostly takes the form of iron candelabras and the insertion of window glass. The ironwork was made at the local Coldron forge in the village, which is still in business. Designed by Sutton his glass in most accomplished, took advice from Kempe but designed the works himself and prepared the glass in a kiln set up in the adjacent rectory. The chancel is Bodley's work and replaced a Georgian structure standing at the time of Sutton's arrival. Behind the screen rises a lierne-ribbed vault, wooden and brilliantly painted. By him too are the choir stalls, organ case, pulpit and reredos, the last framing a 15th century German painted panel given by Sutton. Under the tower is a superb fragment of a 14th century Trinity sculpture. A photograph with this church description shows the chancel, looking beautiful with dark wood, a chequered floor and showing an iron candelabra. Above the altar is a lovely stained glass window of the crucifixion with various attending figures and angels. A gold cross and candlesticks with tall candles are placed on the altar, with very tall gold candlesticks placed forward on either side of the altar also with tall (white) candles. To the left is the organ. ---------------------------------------- Added: 4-September-2012