graffiti
Front, now sadly largely bricked up, is widely regarded as the earliest example of Gothic “Bar” tracery to be found anywhere in Britain. Built between 1226 and 1244, the West Front at Binham was a revolutionary architectural design. Documented by the St Alban’s chronicler, Matthew Paris, it was created decades before the techniques were generally adopted at sites such asWestminster Abbey. As a result, it has also become the centre of one of history’s greatest architectural mysteries – it appeared in a remote corner of Norfolk, decades before it was used elsewhere in the country. Further, the design changed part way through construction, making the mastermason’s original intentions even more tantalising. The initial visual survey at BinhamPriory was
highly encouraging, identifying a number of areas on the arcades where graffiti inscriptions were to be found. Unsurprisingly, being only a few miles inland and a likely stop-over point for medieval pilgrims travelling from the Glaven ports to nearby Walsingham, a number of ship inscriptions were present, although on a much reduced scale to those discovered Blakeney. The initial survey also noted a number of mason’s or merchant’smarks, a crude gaming board and a number of initials. However, the survey and recording process was hampered by the fact that several of the surfaces were covered in what appeared to be a large collection of random lines and curves. It was only when the surveyors abandoned the
graffiti survey techniques and reverted to the traditional measured survey that these lines and curves began to make sense. Graffiti inscriptions are most usually small scale undertakings and, when surveying an area of wall 30cm by 30cm, it is easy to identify smaller inscriptions. However, the larger scale inscriptions, of which you can see only a fragment, are difficult to comprehend. It soon became clear that this was the case at Binham. The lines and curves revealed themselves to be a deeply etched inscription that wasmore than eight feet (2.4 metres) tall and was inscribed using dividers, compasses and square edges to a consistent scale. It was also clear that the inscription was architectural in nature and, inscribed into
32 Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011
From top, the style of script in this inscription at All Saints suggests that it was created in the late 1400s; a swastika pelta cross, a motif with strong links to early Christianity which can be found on old buildings across the region; ‘daisy wheels’, another familiar pattern found on old buildings, have been linked to consecration cross locations
12th-century fabric but beneath the 14th-century paint scheme, it was medieval. The full survey of the wall soon revealed the
design to be fragments of a complex tracery pattern. Further examination confirmed that the tracery pattern in question actually related to the design of the West Front of the Priory. Inscribed tracery patterns such as the example uncovered at Binham have also been discovered in other cathedrals and
churches throughout Europe. Known as “épures”, these drawings often represent the architect’s working drawings. The most famous English example is to be found at York Minster, where the designs were drawn on to a specially treated plaster floor in an area known as the “tracing house”. At York the designs were created at full size, allowing masons to use the plans to create stencils for cutting the stones that would form the tracery pattern itself. However, the Binham Priory designs appear to have been accurate drawings that would need to be scaled up by the master mason before they could be used to make templates for the stone cutters. However, though the designs appear to relate to the important West Front, they are not an exact match. The tracery inscription at Binham is subtly
different from the finishedWest Front. Although all the essential elements are present, a number of features, including the angles of the arches, are not what was built. The obvious conclusion is that these tracery inscriptions represent the master mason’s original working drawings for the West Front, showing what he intended rather than what was actually constructed. They are a remarkable example of a work in progress and, as such, appear to be the earliest designs for Bar tracery in England. The discovery of one such design is certainly
important enough to cause a stir. However, after the initial discovery members of the NMGS soon realised that it was not unique. The surveyors identified several other surfaces within the Priory that also contained tantalising fragments of arches and architectural features. To date, the NMGS has identified at least two other large-scale épures within the building, and the fragmentary remains of a third. Binham’s ground-breaking and enigmatic medievalmaster mason may well have left a few other secrets to uncover. The NMGS will be continuing the survey work at Binham Priory throughout this year.
“Cornerstone” will be reporting in detail on the finds at Binham Priory in the autumn edition.
The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey’s website is
www.medieval-graffiti.co.uk
ALL IMAGES: NMGS
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