With its wealth of early sculptures, unusual effigies, alabaster carvings, fine stained glass and touching memorials, the Church of All Saints in the Peak District village of Youlgrave must rank as one of the most fascinating parish churches in England.
As soon as you step into the wide nave of the church, your eyes will be drawn, almost inevitably, to the brightly coloured, stained-glass window at the head of the chancel.
Designed by the celebrated Pre-Raphaelite painter, Edward Burne-Jones, and manufactured in the workshop of William Morris & Co, the window depicts Christ and the four Gospel writers, clearly labelled as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Rather than portraying the Apostles in a static face-on manner, the artist made them come alive by giving them individual poses that are suggestive of movement.
And because strong pigments were used to stain the glass, the coloured areas in the composition are vivid and well defined.
His heart in his hands
By way of contrast, the effigy of a bearded knight, set against the north wall of the chancel, is completely devoid of colour.
The recumbent figure, said to depict Sir John Rossington, lies cross-legged, with his head resting on a pillow and his feet propped up against a dog. But the feature that makes the carving special is that the knight is shown holding his own heart in his hands.
This out-of-body way of depicting the human heart may be rare, but it is not unique. In fact, a similar example is to be found just a few miles away in the village of Darley Dale, where a sculptured image of Sir John de Darley shows the knight clutching his heart in his hands.
In the centre of the chancel of the church at Youlgrave, there is a much more elaborate type of memorial. This takes the form of a chest-tomb surmounted by an effigy of Thomas Cockayne, who was killed in 1488 during a fight with Thomas Burdett, following a quarrel about a marriage settlement.
The recumbent figure in this instance is depicted in full body armour, sculptured so realistically that you expect to feel metal rather than stone when you touch it.
Robert and Joan and their 17 children
Moving into the north aisle of the nave, you will come across further monuments of outstanding quality and interest.
An oblong alabaster panel, positioned behind a small altar-table at the head of the aisle commemorates Robert Gilbert and his wife, Joan. A Virgin and Child at the centre of the panel is flanked by Robert on the left, accompanied by the couple’s seven sons, and Joan on the right, flanked by their ten daughters.
Knowing that Robert and Joan had the difficult job of bringing up 17 children, you might wonder if the arrangement of their offspring on the panel implies that the couple tried to ease their task by dividing up their parenting duties according to gender!
If you look at the wall next to the panel, you will spot another depiction of a couple with their children.
This takes the form of a Jacobean wall memorial to Roger Rooe and his wife, who are shown facing each other across a prayer desk, with their seven children standing in a line below them.
At the point where the arcading ends but the north wall continues westwards, you will discover yet another intriguing carving. Set into the wall, there is a tiny figure holding a staff and a wallet. He is said to represent a pilgrim.
Tearing at the heart strings
This exploration of the church began with a detailed look at a wonderful stained-glass window and an unexpected encounter with a figure holding a detached heart.
It might be appropriate to end it by returning to the arcaded section of the north aisle to look at a stained-glass memorial window that will tear at your heart strings.
As the inscription below the window explains, it was commissioned by Charles Waterhouse as a memorial to his brother, Rennie, who was killed during the landings at Gallipoli.
The window incorporates fragments of glass salvaged from the ruins of Ypres Cathedral and several surrounding churches which were destroyed in one of the most destructive battles in the First World War.
To mark the centenary of the ending of that conflict, members of the Youlgrave Community Group commissioned a special two-part sculpture.
The carving was cleverly designed to allow one part to be displayed in Youlgrave and the other section to be exhibited in Ypres, with the two parts being exchanged from time to time.
WHILST YOU ARE HERE
Youlgrave is one of the largest villages in the Peak District National Park. It stands on a ridge above the confluence of Lathkill Dale and Bradford Dale, two of the most scenic valleys in Derbyshire.
The Fountain
In times past, the villagers of Youlgrave had to carry buckets of water to their homes from a spring in the depths of Bradford Dale.
Relief came in 1829, when it became possible to pipe water up to the village and store it in a massive conduit, known as The Fountain.
Even today, 500 homes in Youlgrave obtain water piped from Bradford Dale.
Fountain View Bakery and Café
The names of various departments engraved on the windows of the tall building opposite The Fountain indicate that it used to be a Co-op. It is now a well-appointed Youth Hostel that welcomes people of all ages.
A recent addition to the building is a bakery and a café that serves breakfast, lunch and takeaways. Drinks include Thornbridge Ales and speciality coffees.
Bradford Dale
A narrow lane drops from Fountain Square to beautiful Bradford Dale, at a point where a clapper bridge crosses over the river.
The course of the river is interrupted by a succession of weirs and pools, constructed to encourage trout to breed, and by rushes, reeds and beds of watercress, which attract nesting birds, including Dippers and Kingfishers.
Arbor Low
Situated three miles from Youlgrave and set on the high limestone plateau above the dales, there is a very impressive prehistoric stone circle comprising over forty massive limestone slabs.
Known as ‘Derbyshire’s Stonehenge’, Arbor Low differs from its counterpart on Salisbury Plain in being made up of stones that are no longer upright – perhaps they never were!
