Quenington

St Swithin's church, Quenington

Summary

A pretty Cotswold village near Bibury, with lovely cottages and the River Coln meandering through.

The village is quiet and very attractive, with some quite striking Cotswold stone cottages covered in a profusion of flowers.

The Church

The church of St. Swithin at Quenington is notable for the wonderful Norman carvings above the 12th-century doors. The North door shows a traditional Norman chevron pattern incised on three levels.

This surrounds an earlier tympanum depicting the Harrowing of Hell, or the descent of Jesus into Hell to defeat evil and release the souls trapped there. This was a common theme in medieval mystery plays and occurs frequently in Norman relief carvings.

Unfortunately, the interior of the church cannot match the glories of the Norman doors; it was restored in the Victorian period, and the result is best described as "well-intentioned."