Photos of the Remarkable Stunning Sculptures of Kilpeck

Photos of the extremely rare medieval Norman sculptures of bizarre creatures at Kilpeck Church, Herefordshire England.

Tucked away in rural Herefordshire close to the Welsh border is the tiny village of Kilpeck. The photos of the small parish Church of of St Mary and St David depict one of the great treasures of Norman medieval art in Britain. 

kopeck Corbel Sculptures

All the corbels on the outside of Kilpeck’s church are sculpted with beautifully rendered human faces or bizarre mythical creatures. Further the south doorway’s lintels are all decorated with wonderful sculptures of strange creature including a sculpture of a Green Man.

The Bestiary

To modern eyes the creatures depicted in the sculptures of Kilpeck church are a mystery. Medieval man though would have been familiar with the beasts and what they represent. Thanks to some well preserved medieval Bestiary books we are able to decipher the meaning of some of the sculpture at Kilpeck. The Bestiary was a medieval encyclopaedia of real and mythical creatures that medieval man believed in, along with the fables their were associated with.

Reading Kilpeck’s Corbels

To demonstrate how difficult it is for use to understand medieval mythology lets look at the photo of Kilpeck’s Corbel 28. We see a dramatic Carving of a Sheela-na-gig which is a depiction of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva.

To modern eyes the Sheela-na-gig is rather shocking and may look mildly pornographic, but medieval people saw the Sheela-na-gig as a warder off of death and demons. Sheela-na-gig sculptures are architectural grotesques found throughout most of Europe on cathedrals, castles, and other buildings.

Sacred Stone

The Sheela-na-gig sculpture is a great example of how the meaning of images has changed and been lost over time. The photos of Kilpeck church are from a series called Sacred Stone in which I explore sacred beliefs and mythology cast in stone by our ancestors.

Photography Style

I wanted the Kilpeck photos to concentrate solely on the sculptures so I felt that colour photographs would detract the viewer from the detail and form of the artworks. Further I find that black and white photos are more like poetry to me and, I wanted to hang onto some of the enigma of these strange beautiful sculptures. I hope you enjoy the photos and want to see more of Kilpeck’s Stone Bestiary