Why Angel Roofs?

The angel roof of St Stephen's Hall, Westminster; the archangel of all other angel roofs

Not much mediaeval art from English churches survives.  Episodes of iconoclasm under the ‘reforming’ Tudors and in the middle of the Seventeenth Century put paid to the vast majority of the works that once populated their naves and chancels.  Over a decade ago Tate Britain put on a show of some of the highlights of what remains undamaged (or relatively so), and the main thing that struck me at the time was how little material there is left to choose from.

Angel roofs, that adorn many churches in East Anglia, are an exception that proves the rule.  The iconoclasts found it difficult to reach them, often leaving instructions that they should be destroyed after their departure.  Fortunately their instructions were often ignored, although this was not always the case and occasional rows of headless seraphs, and empty spaces, are the sad result. 

In the past when looking at these roofs, presiding rather magnificently above the relatively bare walls and statue free niches,  I have wondered why they were there and what they signified. At Little Waldingfield History Society on Wednesday evening I achieved some enlightenment.  Michael Rimmer, who has written a book on Angel Roofs,  gave a wide ranging talk on the subject, illustrating some of the best examples.

When created angel roofs were integral to the church’s overall internal decoration. The focus of the whole was the rood screen which separated the chancel from the nave, and depicted Christ’s passion.  The absence of the screen today (no original one apparently survives) leaves the roof in limbo as it no longer forms part of a purposeful decorative whole that took the eye from the top to the bottom of the church as if from heaven to earth.  Andy Sheppard has written a full review of Michael’s most informative talk, available on the tab above.

Michael Rimmer made the point that the roofs represent a rare opportunity to see (from a distance) the work of mediaeval craftsmen, so much of which has been lost.  Coincidentally this weekend The Guardian reports that a rare Fourteenth Century statue from the Midlands is to go on show at the British Museum.  You can read about how lucky it was to survive HERE.

The Angel Roofs of East Anglia, Unseen Masterpieces of the Middle Ages by Michael Rimmer is available from Amazon and other booksellers.   ISBN: 978 -0718893699