Image ID: 19327

Gargoyle, St Mary and All Saints' Church, Hawksworth

St Mary and All Saints' Church
Hawksworth
England

The dictionary definition of Gargoyle is a spout usually in the form of a grotesquely carved face or figure, projecting from a roof gutter. The name derives from the Old French 'gargouille' and the Late Latin 'gurgulio', both meaning throat. Gargoyles (in the strict sense) are carvings on the outside of buildings designed to direct water from the roof away from the base of the walls. Some gargoyles are undecorated but many are zoomorphic or anthropomorphic - often very imaginative and grotesque. This has led to the term 'gargoyle' being applied more widely to any grotesque carving in medieval buildings. It is believed that they were possibly intended to ward off evil spirits, but another suggestion as to what they are lies in the distant past, before christianity. The sculptors could have been echoing semi-forgotten traditional beliefs in pagan icons, particularly as they are associated with water, and are sometimes carved in a celtic/norse style. There are many examples of humorous/sardonic gargoyles, such as those picking their nose and even a few examples of defecating gargoyles with the water spout coming from the creature's bottom rather than the more usual mouth.

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Keywordschurchstonewallmedievalwaterspoutdraingargoylesculpturecarving

West Bridgford Library