Wolverhampton Pillar
52°35′12″N 2°07′41″W / 52.586621°N 2.128087°W
The Wolverhampton Pillar is the shaft of an Anglo-Saxon High cross, dating from the ninth or tenth centuries AD.
The scheduled monument[1] is still standing in its original location, in what is now the churchyard of St Peter's Collegiate Church, in Wolverhampton, England.[1]
Description[edit]
The decoration is of an extremely rare type, and has survived the effects of weathering comparatively well. It consists of seven bands, depicting vine scrolls, various animals, acanthus, and lattice-work.[1]
Kendrick (1938) considered the decoration to be unique; the only surviving example in England which demonstrated the southern continental Baroque style.[2] He also thought (1949) that it illustrated "a taste for a crowded display of finicky decoration", which is also reflected in the later Stapleford Cross.[3]
History[edit]
Phyllis Nicklin, of the University of Birmingham, notes that the 14-foot high shaft is of similar size to the columns of the forum at the Roman city of Viriconium, near Wroxeter, and speculates that the shaft may have been taken from there by the Anglian carvers.[4] If so, the shaft would have been quarried c. 100-150 AD.[5]
The carving is Anglo-Saxon, but the date is uncertain. The cross may have been carved and erected around 850 AD,[5][6] or more probably from around AD 996 when a college was founded at this site.[7]
A plaster cast of the Pillar was created for the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1877.[6]
An excavation by Michael M. Rix in 1949 revealed that the pillar is still standing on its original Saxon foundation, consisting of a stepped base approximately 2.4m in diameter, located one metre below the present ground level. At some later date, the base of the pillar has been propped up with mortared rubble.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Anglian cross 25m south of St Peter's Collegiate Church (1005886)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Kendrick, T D (1938). Anglo Saxon Art to AD 900. p. 192-193.
- ^ Kendrick, T.D. (1949). Late Saxon and Viking Art. p. 71-2 Plate XLVI.
- ^ Nicklin, Phyllis (1960). "Anglo-Saxon column, St. Peter's Collegiate Church churchyard, Wolverhampton, West Midlands". ePapers Repository. University of Birmingham. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ a b "The Wolverhampton Cross, St Peter's Church, Wolverhampton, West Midlands". The Journal of Antiquities. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Standing Cross". V&A Sculpture Collections. Victorial and Albert Museum. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 118820". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 31 December 2013.
External links[edit]
- Photo showing decoration, by Bob Maddox
- Plaster cast taken in 1880 for the V&A Museum
- Entry in Journal of Antiquities
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