British Medieval Architecture
The wooden corbel heads of Devizes, Wiltshire
The heads were fashioned from oak, felled either in Wiltshire, Hampshire or Somerset (Bridge and Miles, 2005). Carving would have taken place whilst the wood was still green and relatively soft. All the Romanesque grimaces would have been visible to the congregation below. Thankfully, these medieval works of art were saved from destruction by Valentine Leach during the restoration of St Johns Church, Devizes. The Devizes corbel heads have been dated by Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory to 1408-30.
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