Medieval angels wing their way to museum
A SPECIAL exhibition featuring rare, medieval carved angels is set to open in Lincolnshire next week.
The display, which is of national significance, will be held at Louth Museum when it re-opens and the survival of the angelic beings is all thanks to a ground-breaking team of restorers at Lincoln University.
England has very few of these historic carvings left, but two unique 15th-century carved-oak roof angels from St Edith’s Church in Grimoldby will be on show.
These are not the gentle cherubs of the Baroque era or the delicate angels depicted by the Pre-Raphaelites. No, these ones are the fierce warriors described in the Bible’s Book of Revelation 12:7-10 - which do battle against ferocious dragons!
The angel sculptures in Grimoldby are among the few that have survived, since most of Lincolnshire’s medieval roof angels were sadly destroyed by Henry VIII’s Reformation of the Monasteries in the 16th century.
Angels normally live for ever, so these ones which were carved in the 1430s are extremely young - less than 600 years old in fact.
Pete Bates, Churchwarden of St Edith’s said: “These first two angels are part of a seven-year project in conjunction with the University of Lincoln to conserve all nine of our angels and are believed to be the earliest known surviving medieval oak carved angels in Lincolnshire.
“Detailed planning and preparations for the conservation work commenced in 2020 with the University taking possession of the first pair of angels in 2022.
“These first two completed angels were the work of master’s degree students, Amy Dixon and Jamie Rees, and were under the supervision of Senior Lecturer Henning Schultze.
“Two further roof angels have recently been completed and the detailed conservation work will be ongoing for several years before they may hopefully be returned to their original positions in St. Edith’s church roof.”
Also, on Saturday April 27, under the watchful eye of the five angels that remain at the church, researcher Geoff Wheatley will give a talk entitled “The wonderful world of Roof Angels: Not all angels have wings.”
The exhibition entitled “Angels from the realms of Grimoldby” opens on Wednesday, April 3 at 10am and costs £5 for adults and £4 for concessions. Children under 16 are free. The talk: “Not all Angels Have Wings” will take place at St. Ediths Church, Grimoldby from 2pm on Saturday April 27 and costs £5 including light refreshments bring your binoculars!
For advanced booking to the talk contact Churchwarden Peter Bates on 01507 328917 or write to blasterwavynavy@gmail.com. For the museum visit: www.louthmuseum. org.uk