G IS FOR GARGOYLE
The photo above is of a gargoyle on St Gregory's Church in Sudbury. The word gargoyle comes from the old French word "gargouille" meaning throat or gullet and are rain spouts projecting from the eaves of many churches and other ecclesiatical building. They were often fashioned into a cariacture of some personal ememy of the architect or owner of the building. Sometimes when a new dean or chapter came to a chuch the old gargoyle would be removed and new ones put in their place personalising the enemies of the new incumbents.Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has now come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles are depicted as monks, combinations of real animals and people, many of which ware humorous. Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called "grotesques"
As I only had one photo in my folders of a gargoyle I Googled and found a fascinating site called GARGOYLES which contains many more photos and information. The next photo is taken from this site and is from a church in Great Cressingham, Norfolk. 
I love gargoyles, the type of people I could imagine having a conversation with LOL They always look as though they have just heard something outrageous! LOL!
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I'm rather partial to gargoyles myself. Nice bit of info Ruth; your research skills are going to come in very handy on your course :)
ReplyDeleteYou live and learn. I never knew they were called gargoyles.
ReplyDeleteI love gargoyles too. They are easy to miss if you don't make a point of looking upwards!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative post. There is place that sells Gargoyles around here (it is a wrecking company) and they never seem to last too long. It is easy to see with the other comments here why.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in my collection I have pictures of gargoyles, don't know why I like them, I think they remind me of classic hooror films.
ReplyDeleteI too have joined ABC Wednesday
Intersting post Ruth! Good idea for G.
ReplyDeletei am not a fan of gargoyles, cos they somehow give me an eery feel... esp at nite. again, it's all personally taste haha!
ReplyDeleteand thanks for all the facts about G.
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Full of interesting info! Great G post!
ReplyDeleteWe have some 'nice' gargoyles on our church, I quite like them.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there might be more in Europe.. I haven't seen one of those on a building in quite some time.
ReplyDeleteThanksfor your interesting information on gargoyles. A perfect G Wednesday submission.
ReplyDeleteI'm here from Mrsnesbitts ABC blogroll. Join me for my G Wednesday too.
Interesting features on a building. I can't recall seeing any in South Africa, but will certainly be on the look out for them. There is a strong British influence in the early PE architecture.
ReplyDeleteMy early recollections of Gargoyle, if my memory serves me correctly, is of a rather strange looking character in the Beano books.
I'm with Mrs Nesbitt on this one . . . lol. I'd love a garden full of stone Gargoyles but Andy wont let me! . . .Spoil sport!
ReplyDeleteI've had a throat infection/cold since Saturday & all I want to do is gargoyle, which is what I look like!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for going to Leonor 4/9/06. I replied there.
Now it is an evening time for all that music via my MP3 - definitely the best way to listen!
What is the shelf-life of a gargoyle?
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Somehow I get scary from that gargoyle picture. Perhaps, I am thinking to much of Halloween today.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever walked around Oxford and looked up the gargoyles there? They have a few modern ones, done in the "old style" though, as though to continue the art. I'll never forget the one I saw of Prince Charles! The EARS on it! LOL!
ReplyDeleteAnother great history lesson, thanks Ruth.
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