Let us just talk about the difference between Carved figures that I seek out and those fantastic large gargoyles that we see on some of the best houses of god. Gargoyles are basically waterspouts, carvings that project out from a wall, the purpose of which is to drain rainwater away from the walls. They generally have a pipe projecting through the carving itself stopping rainwater from running down the walls of the building and eating away at the foundations.
What I look for are the carved figures or grotesque carvings that you will often find sitting upon widow arches, stone pillars or door arches, in some cases very small but they never fail to interest me and I often wonder what the stone mason looked like who sat carving them hundreds of years earlier.
I think of the hours that were spent working on these small additions to the buildings, how some are given a rather comic appearance while others are, to be honest, downright ugly, but each one very unique.
Most who know me understand that tho I'm not a religious person I do enjoy looking at these stunning medieval stone houses of god, the workmanship carried out by those who were often regarded as peasants is bloody amazing when you take a close look. With most of the workforce being paid next to nothing by those in the church and local landowners I feel the least we can do is to admire their skill and painstaking work they produced.
So for me, I'll continue to seek out these interesting little friends and study the detail that went into their making and I hope you too notice them next time you visit or pass your local parish church.
I've often thought how ugly gargoyles are and why such ugly carvings are on churches
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