A Late Medieval Wonder - St Nicholas', Denston, Suffolk

A relatively unknown Perpendicular Gothic gem, Denston church is full of incredible treasures from the late medieval period. In this short video, I highlight many of these features.
Please do let me know in the comments if you have any questions or any general feedback.
I hope you enjoy the video.

[@stepps511]

Delightfully informative! The history contained in these churches is awe-producing.

[@DanStClairCole]

I absolutely love perpendicular gothic! Such a beautiful combination of excess tempered with frugality. The vaults in the ceiling, the large windows, absolutely divine!! Thanks a lot for bringing this church to our notice!!

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

You’re welcome. That is a great way of putting it, thank you!

[@danielsmith9814]

Excellent presentation of this historical information. Thank you for creating this video.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoy the video and found it interesting!

[@cjv1000]

Another church on the 'to visit' list!

[@anikaindie1322]

The Elephant! :) Thank you for this fascinating video!

[@SMWBraden]

Fascinating, just fascinating. Thank you. You do such great and informative work.

[@garywait3231]

Excellent presentation: informative and interestingly narrated. Delighted to have discovered your channel !!

[@monicacall7532]

Same here!

[@kesmarn]

"...[A] chamber of light and glory..." What a great descriptive phrase.

[@tamaflip]

I’m so happy to have found your channel!

[@stephanemami]

Great video!

[@user-tp3rs6qs8w]

Expert info. Thank you!

[@brian9480]

Superb presentation. Fascinating.

[@archiebald4717]

Beautiful!

[@SharonPadget]

The elephant carving was funny.

[@LovinLnCottage]

Thank you for this beautifully done video. It is so kind of your to share with those of us who make never have the opportunity or means to visit these awesome places in life. ☮️❤️🙏

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

You’re welcome, I’m glad I am able to transport your there virtually!

[@jamesallison4875]

Thanks, Professor! What an erudite young man you are. Very well spoken.

[@emimon2351]

Subscribed immediately :)

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you, I hope you enjoy my upcoming videos

[@JaneRae-ho4km]

Thank you, so much information! Be blessed

[@dalehill3170]

Umpty-ump years ago, when my California trio was singing in English folk clubs, I spent most of my free time nosing around ancient parish churches. Thank you for taking me right back to those days!

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

You’re welcome. I’m glad I transported you back to that beautiful memory!

[@nigelcutler6914]

More please!

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

I very informative video! What a gem of a church. Your forebears sure knew how to build things of beauty and lasting craftmanship. A very harmonizing place of prayer and celebration of the Lord. I wish more universities would have majors in restorative architecture and engineering so our children would have the know how maintain these special places. Face it, nobody travels all the way to England to see 1970s brutalistic concrete car parks and run-down dingy flats with rust stains and spauling.

[@megsullivan]

Wonderfully informative video! Thank you so much for this. :)

[@monicacall7532]

My sibs and I are planning to visit Suffolk next summer to visit the county where some of our ancestors came from. I also love gothic church architecture, so now I am looking forward to visiting Suffolk to do family history AND to visit some of these glorious churches that you feature on your videos. Many thanks for your well done videos.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

I hope you enjoy your visit to Suffolk. I assume you ancestral history travels will take you to many of our churches. Because the fonts in which your ancestor would have been baptised in are probably still there and you might even find there graves (depending on how far back you are going).

[@crazyherisson6500]

Yes, superb work ! Keep 'em coming please.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you. I have a new series starting today, so lots more videos to come!

[@crazyherisson6500]

@@greatbritisharchitecture Great !

[@1258-Eckhart]

Quite extraordinary in this church are the very slender columns with the surface carvings giving the same impression as the fluting on a classical column, drawing the eye heavenwards. Structurally a virtuoso performance by the master mason and in Gothic an English speciality that nobody notices. Thanks for elucidating on the seven-sacrament font, your references to John Wycliffe being very pertinent.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Yes the arcades do have that eye raising effect! You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed the video

[@smartypants7942]

This is the content I wanna pay my internet bills for! This was so informative!! Great to see longer versions of your content on YT !

[@WilliamPickard-eo4xt]

I really your work and content thanks

[@MM-xx9ct]

Suburb work, thank you for sharing.

[@mtritt1296]

Impressive presentation. Great narration! I learned a lot, and really want to see those pew and choral wood carvings! Thanks for your production!

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed! thank you

[@user-fq4sy9cc2o]

Beauty will save the world - Fyodor Dostoevsky

[@oxanaershova6762]

In is realy professional and interesting! Please do it exactly in this way!👍

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you! Will do!

[@itsjohndell]

Been following you on Insta a long time. Just subbed you here. Used to live in Suffolk. RAF Lakenheath. Been to Denston. Very best of luck with the channel mate!

[@KEVINKEVINKEVINWWW]

I can’t get enough of this. The knowledge is deep and thoughtful. Thank you from New York City.

[@jontalbot1]

You should come to Suffolk. Over 500 medieval churches. Best to see on a bicycle

[@KEVINKEVINKEVINWWW]

@@jontalbot1 I was in Norfolk last year. Beautiful country. Suffolk next time.

[@jontalbot1]

@@KEVINKEVINKEVINWWW Suffolk is miles better. Guess where l am from

[@KEVINKEVINKEVINWWW]

@@jontalbot1I have an inkling.

[@jontalbot1]

@@KEVINKEVINKEVINWWW Get yourself a Pevsner guide to the county. An old secondhand one, not the new expensive two volume job. If you don’t know what l am talking about, Google it. It’s essential if you plan on poking about in old churches

[@pamelablume1637]

A new subscriber here! Just found your lovely channel and I look forward to future posts!

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you. That’s great to hear. I have a new series starting today, which I hope you enjoy!

[@BlackMesa_UK]

Great stuff, thank you! Have you considered recording audio guides for churches? You could charge for these or offer them to Pateron subscribers. 🙂

[@berry-123]

Thank you for another great video. I love your work so much❤

[@jamesmccarthy5086]

I sometimes wish I lived in Europe. The architecture is so beautiful! I’m afraid if I went over there I’d never come back due to me exploring everything I could! Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

I hope you are able to visit yourself one day! You’re very welcome.

[@jamesmccarthy5086]

@@greatbritisharchitecture thank you! I’ve always been fascinated with British history. Not too sure why. As an American you’d probably think I could care less! My problem is how to get over the pond. One of these days…

[@aleksstosich]

Interesting about the windows - I'm assuming they were destroyed at some point and the surviving pieces reset randomly at first? Glad the decision was made to at least cluster them together and reconstruct what was possible.

[@chesterplemany]

Very nice! I recognize this church from The Antiquary.

[@laurencethenewlyricist167]

There really are some remarkable churches in East Anglia. I specially like the roof angels that feature in many of them 🙂 Who does the camera work for your videos?

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Oh yes angels roofs are an amazing medieval treasure! In this video it was a good friend of mine. He’s not a videographer by trade, but he’s getting a lot of practice these days 😅

[@tobyhuitson4326]

Well done! The only thing I’d say is that you seem to end a bit suddenly… How about stepping back and wrapping up with some wider general comments and views?

[@MrNigara]

Cute, cute

[@philipfowke7074]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The church is very fine, though sadly rather scrubbed and whitewashed. The holy water stoup at the entrance might have been mentioned as there are relatively few surviving in situ. Many thanks for introducing this church with such knowledge and enthusiasm.

[@TheEmptyAir]

Lovely work. Where did you get your jacket?

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Thank you. This is my dads old jacket. He brought it in America in the 1990s. It is Levi’s

[@TheEmptyAir]

@@greatbritisharchitecture Thank you for the response, and please keep up the excellent work.

[@MB-ez7lf]

Well done. Who is your videographer?

[@vallian17]

Is there any particular significance with the presence of the then exotic animals carved into the furniture? such as the elephant you mentioned. I understand that during the medieval era, there was an obsession of European kingdoms to adopt heraldry that depicted mythological and exotic creatures, such as the double-headed eagle in the Holy Roman Empire. However, im perplexed to see them in churches.

[@davidcope5736]

Its not uncommon in English Church furniture. I would guess that they wanted to add decoration to almost everything but were careful about where they placed sacred images. In large cathedrals you will find great choir stalls, covered in elaborate carving. The wooden ledges on which the clergy would directly sit are decorated with non religious imagery like beasts and ordinary people, whilst sacred figures adorn the canopies above the seating.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

These carvings carried some didactic purpose usually. Although it seems the exact meaning of many has been forgotten and has to be inferred. Some benches in other churches are more overtly religious. I can say for certain that it isn’t heraldic, however, you are correct they did put exotic animals in heraldry.

[@tonib9027]

That poor elephant looked like a deformed pelican

[@estebancorral5151]

What was the source of Levenham’s wealth?

[@dalehill3170]

Wool, no doubt...

[@estebancorral5151]

@@dalehill3170 That was my suspicion. However, it up to the content creator to not be a tease and give an authoritative answer less he be deemed lacking in erudition.

[@greatbritisharchitecture]

Indeed, wool was the source of the wealth in late medieval east Anglia. I apologise for the delayed response as I have been away on pilgrimage and then endless hours of editing new videos. The first episode of which I just released today!

[@estebancorral5151]

@@greatbritisharchitecture Because you have been on a pilgrimage, you have been expiated. Do videos water and windmills.

[@kennethbowry1521]

Beautiful work great presentation time to spread your wings,get a Film together and pitch it to Ben Turner at Fulwell 73 he has a Talent for making and marketing such works.

[@user-tp3rs6qs8w]

Expert info. Thank you!