Last Saturday, between singings with St Mary’s choir for two
weddings, I sat down to make a drawing of a baroque flight of fancy located in
the north aisle of the church. A chair, beautifully and just recently restored
by the Furniture Faculty students at Bucks New University in High Wycombe.
Bless them for a wonderful job.
 |
| A flamboyantly ornate, gilt wood baroque armchair. It has a crown canopy adorned with acanthus leaves and cherubs |
A CANON’S TAIL
Canon Arthur A Jones in his early ‘80’s A Guide to the Parish Church of St. Mary and
All Saints Beaconsfield describes the chair:
“Behind the pulpit, out of sight
of the congregation, is a flamboyantly ornate, gilt wood baroque armchair. It
has a crown canopy adorned with acanthus leaves and cherubs and the arms also
have cherubs heads of both ends.
“The back of the chair is of
painted leather and a small cartouche appears to portray a Franciscan friar
kneeling at a table which are on which are a crucifix, two skulls and a
flair. It (the chair) is thought to be
of 17th century Spanish workmanship and according to tradition Benjamin
Disraeli presented it to the church, when he became Earl of Beaconsfield in
1876”
CONRAD’S STORY
Conrad born in 1290 as Corrado Confalonieri, a member of one
of the noblest families in the town of Calendasco, a little more than 90 miles northwest of
Bologna.
Whilst out hunting a member of his entourage set fire to a wood.
Corrado kept quiet about his part in this and a local woodsman was blamed for
the destruction, however before this poor local was put to the sword the Prince
confessed.
And in reparation he became a hermit of the Third Order
of St. Francis, and venerated as a saint.
More on St Mary's Beaconsfield http://stmarysrector.blogspot.co.uk and here http://revkevbeer.blogspot.co.uk
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Thank you very much for your comments - Tim