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I Location

II General Description

Sandstone church with a 12thc. nave and chancel, a S aisle and chapel of 1510, and a W tower and vestry. The church stands on high ground and is very exposed to the N and E with consequent damage to the N wall and entrance. Rock is the largest 12thc. parish church in Worcestershire, with sculpture adorning the N nave doorway and windows, the chancel arch and the font; there are also some reset Romanesque fragments in the N and W nave walls inside.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) N doorway, nave

Round-headed, six orders with plain monolithic tympanum, broken at R. The doorway is set in a gabled projection, 0.56 m deep.

Dimensions

First order:

Plain, with chamfered impost blocks carved with a scrolling stem with furled leaf terminals, arranged in mirror image on either side of the arris.

Second order:

Plain detached nook shafts on eroded double bulbous bases with worn spurs. Cable moulding on neckings, carved capitals (see below) and imposts continuous with first order.

L capital: a full-length mask, its nose at the angle, beneath three chip-carved saltires on each face, and with scalloping above the necking. All much eroded.

R capital: as L capital, but better preserved, the eyes outlined by double grooves and a ribbed moustache issuing from a flared nose.

In the arch, three rows of chevrons frontal to the face, each row outlined by reeding. One row of hollow lateral chevron on the soffit, with grooved mouldings on either side.

Third order:

As second order, but double scallop capitals with double-sheathed cones and three chip-carved saltires on each face, the shields also chip-carved but their decoration eroded and indistinct. Imposts continuous with other orders. In the arch, fret ornament on the face outside an angle roll; on the soffit, a row of roll lozenges flanked by chip-carved lozenges inside and by triangles outside.

Fourth order:

As third order. The arch as second order, but with hollow chevrons in the central row on the face.

Fifth order:

Decorated with a vertical row of large chip-carved saltires with grooved arms. Imposts broken. In the arch, a band of cusping, the cusps touching pellets on the chamfered inner edge; two rows of billet outside.

Sixth order:

On each side, four vertical rows of chevrons (roll, hollow, hollow, roll) meeting point-to-point. Imposts broken, but on L carving similar to those of the other orders. In the arch, a row of half-lozenges on face and soffit, meeting the angle roll point-to-point. Each half-lozenge is chip-carved inside and resembles an arrow-head. Roll billet on the label, which springs from the plain string course at the base of the gable, four courses above the imposts. Eroded at L.

2. Windows

One shafted window in the N chancel. Three windows similar to those in the chancel in the N wall of the nave, one to the W of the doorway, two to the E, at a height level with the doorway gable; the latter two windows each have a blind arch to their L (see para. 3b. below).

(i) N chancel window (N1)

Round-headed, two orders inside and out.

Exterior:

First order: plain, continuous, chamfered.

Second order: detached nook shafts on moulded bases; plain neckings, scallop capitals with angle tucks, the L capital triple scallop, the R double scallop with a roll between the cones; chamfered impost blockss with a groove on the face. Plain arch. All except the bases appear to be renewed.

Interior:

First order: plain splayed reveals.

Second order: monolithic nook shafts on double torus bases; plain neckings, triple scallop capitals with angle tucks; chamfered imposts with a groove above the chamfer. Plain arch. Renewed.

(ii) N nave wall, E window (N2)

Round-headed, two orders outside, three inside.

Exterior:

First order: plain, continuous.

Second order: eroded monolithic nook shafts on moulded bases; plain neckings, double scallop capital on L, triple scallop on R, both with angle tucks; chamfered imposts with a groove on the face. Plain arch. Plain chamfered label with a groove at the arris.

Interior:

First order: plain splayed reveal.

Second order: engaged nook shafts on moulded bases; plain neckings, cushion capitals with angle tucks; chamfered imposts with a groove above the chamfer. Plain arch, continuing splay.

Third order: detached nook shafts on attic bases; plain neckings, triple scallop capitals with angle tucks; imposts continuous with Second order. Plain arch.

(iii) N nave wall, central window (N3)

Round-headed, two orders inside and out.

Exterior:

First order: plain, continuous, chamfered.

Second order: monolithic nook shafts on moulded bases; plain neckings and cushion capitals; chamfered imposts with a groove on the face. Plain arch. Plain chamfered label with a groove at the arris. The R base and the L capital, impost and L springer of the label are particularly badly eroded.

Interior:

First order: plain splayed reveals.

Second order: detached nook shafts, plain neckings, a cushion capital on the L, a triple fluted capital on R; the L impost with one groove on the face, the R with two.

(iv) N nave wall, W window (N4)

Round-headed, two orders inside and out.

Exterior:

First order: plain, continuous, chamfered.

Second order: detached nook shafts, the R on a spurred moulded base, the L carved with two rows of lateral chevrons and an eroded mask at the angle; plain neckings, a cushion capital on the L, the R triple scallop type, but with pointed V-shaped cones and shields, and losses at the angle; chamfered imposts with a groove on the face, with losses at the angle on the L and on the N face on the R. Plain arch. Plain chamfered label with a groove on the arris, eroded on the R.

Interior:

First order: plain splayed reveal.

Second order: detached nook shafts on moulded bases, the R with a spur; plain neckings, cushion capitals with angle tucks; chamfered imposts with a groove above the chamfer. Plain arch.

3. Exterior Decoration

b. Arcading

To the E of each of the two E windows of the N nave wall is a blind arch.

(i) N nave wall, E arch

Round-headed, one order.

Detached nook shafts on eroded moulded bases; plain neckings, triple scallop capital on L, double scallop on R, both with angle tucks; chamfered imposts with a groove on the face, the L eroded and the R continuing into that of the E nave window. Plain arch. Plain chamfered label with a groove at the arris.

(ii) N nave wall, arch to L of central window

Round-headed, one order. As the E arch (i) above, but the R base has a spur and the R capital is triple fluted. L base, shaft and capital badly weathered; R shaft also has losses.

c. Corbel tables, corbels

(i) Corbel table, nave and chancel

A corbel table runs beneath the eaves on the N wall of the nave and two W bays of the chancel; many corbels badly eroded and some apparently unfinished, but as follows, from E to W:

Chancel

N1: head, lower part unfinished.

N2: ?lower part of a bird, its feet on a roll.

N3: rectangular block, broken at lower edge.

N4: head, eroded and/or unfinished.

N5: rectangular block, carved on the lower face with two rolls flanked by wedge mouldings or reeding.

Nave

N6: eroded, possibly a head

N7: eroded

N8: cubic block, the face unfinished or eroded, the lower edge carved with a single chevron outlined by a groove.

N9: eroded, possibly a head with chin and open mouth visible.

N10: animal mask.

N11: grotesque mask, with pointed chin, down-turned open mouth and flaring nostrils, the upper part of the block rounded at the edges.

N12: cubic block, the face eroded and the lower edge carved with a single chevron, a hollowed triangle within the point.

N13: cubic block, possibly an unfinished head, with four rolls on the lower edge.

N14: unfinished head.

N15: eroded.

N16: eroded, ?head.

N17: ?bear head entwined by snakes.

N18: head, lower part unfinished.

N19: eroded head.

N20: paired heads, ?unfinished.

N21: paired heads, eroded and ?unfinished.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

a. Chancel arch/Apse arches

(i) Chancel arch

Round-headed (depressed slightly), two orders on E face, three on W.

First order, shared: engaged half-shaft responds on bases with three rolls above a moulding bearing radiating double tongues or scoops, extending into foliate spurs at the angles. Cable neckings, the L one beaded, carved block capitals (see below) and chamfered carved impost blocks: both the face and chamfer of the imposts bear undulating stems arranged in mirror image on either side of the arris, where clasps bind the stems together; the stem of the R impost includes some spiralling leaves.

L capital: triple-stranded irregular interlace with furled leaf terminals, partly issuing from human masks at the angles. The mask at the SW angle, with bulbous eyes, projecting ears and ribbed cap or hair, is intact; that at the SE angle is broken on the R, and E face damaged.

R capital: on the main face, a leonine quadruped running R with two heads emerging from the mane, one human with ribbed beard and cap at the angle, the other canine and turning back to bite the tail, which winds under the hind legs and over the back. On the W face, three superimposed birds. On the damaged E face, triple-stranded irregular interlace. The arch bears chevron ornament in a complex arrangement, as follows. In the centre of the soffit is an irregular band of chip-carved lozenges, some of them arranged singly, others in a staggered double row; the band is flanked on the W by two rows of lateral chevrons (hollow, roll) and on the E by one row (hollow) or by two (hollow, roll), depending on the arrangement of the lozenges. Both chevrons and lozenge band are outlined by narrow grooved mouldings. The E face of the arch has one row of lateral chevrons, of varying depth and centrifugally carved, and with a cogwheel edge. On the W face is one row of centripetal lateral hollow chevrons interlocking at the angle with the soffit chevrons to form a cogwheel edge; the chevrons are flanked by grooved mouldings and have two chip-carved triangles in each of the outer fields.

Second order, E face: detached nook shafts on moulded bases. Cable neckings, carved block capitals (see below) and chamfered imposts continuous from first order, but the E faces of the imposts left plain. L capital: on each face is a haloed head in profile, facing towards a human figure at the angle; the latter has arms extending to R and L to hold the feet, the legs following the line of the necking. All three heads have cap or hair with horizontal ribbing; the angle figure has ribbed sleeves.

R capital: on the E face is an eight-petalled rosette with central drilled stamen; on the N face, a curved clinker-built boat with a Greek cross on the mast and several heads, some shown above ribbed sleeves, on board. Plain arch.

Second order, W face: detached nook shafts on bulbous bases carved with an undulating scroll of furled trefoil leaves and foliate spurs; cable neckings; carved block capitals (see below) and imposts continuous with first order.

L capital: a ribbed interlaced stem forming a spiral in mirror image on each face; the spirals are entwined by tendrils, in a slightly different arrangement on each face.

R capital: a centaur running L, embracing both faces of the block; it has one prancing foreleg and a backward-turning head, and aims an arrow at a deer on the W face above its hindquarters. In the arch, a row of half-lozenges on both face and soffit, meeting the angle roll point-to-point, the fields within the points chip-carved to form arrow-heads.

Third order, W face: detached nook shafts on spurred moulded bases. Plain necking on L shaft, cable necking on R. Carved block capitals (see below) and imposts continuous with first and second orders.

L capital: at the angle is a horse or ass's head with flared ears and beaded bridle, the bridle extending from the muzzle to L and R into a broad grooved loop meeting at the angle beneath. Entwined through the loops is a grooved U-shaped stem with blossom terminals, which occupy the upper corners of each face, their tendrils extending downwards and entwining with the loops. A grooved ring-knot is carved on the surface of the adjacent block, two of the loops enclosing pellets.

R capital: at the angle, an exhibitionist with arms outstretched and holding the knees, which lie in the centre of each face. A serpent emerges from the waist to R and L, loops beneath the thighs and up behind the arms to bite the ears. At the upper corners of the W and S edges of the block are two stylised triple leaves. On the adjacent block to the S, a four-looped pattern composed of a grooved stem, with four trefoil leaves radiating between the loops. In the arch, two rows of chevrons frontal to the face (hollow, roll), outlined by thin grooved mouldings; on the soffit, one row of lateral hollow chevrons, nesting into the inner row of chevrons on the face and with chip-carved triangles in the outer fields. On the label are two rows of square billet enclosing cusping, the cusps touching pellets on the chamfered inner edge.

5. Interior Decoration

c. Miscellaneous

(i) Reset fragments

18 carved stone fragments bearing similar motifs to those of the N doorway and chancel arch are set into the N nave wall. These include hollow chevron with chip-carved triangles within the points, cusping with pellets on the cusps, square billet, roll billet, zigzag and grooved chip-carved saltires. A chevron fragment is also set into the W nave wall (i.e. the E wall of the tower).

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

Cauldron-shaped, of pale stone, with a repair on the E side of the rim. The shafted plinth is modern. Carved on the bowl in low relief is a chain of nine three-stranded circles, linked by triple clasps and with symmetrical stylized foliate motifs in the spandrels. The circles contain rosettes of varying complexity alternating with four-looped patterns.

Dimensions

VII History

Rock is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, when the main manor was Alton, held by Ralph de Toeni (died 1101-02); there was a priest at that time. Ralph subsequently gave the manor and church of Alton to St Evroul Abbey in Normandy. Rock is first mentioned in 1210-12 (VCH 19.., 4:320-27).

VIII Comments/Opinions

According to the VCH, the chancel arch has spread at the springing line, causing the depression at the crown and a fracture in the wall above, but the architect now responsible for the fabric regards the arch as intentionally depressed. The carved fragments set into the nave walls could come from a S doorway destroyed when the church was extended on this side in 1510. The motifs on the font are similar to some on the chancel arch (second order, E side), and the font at nearby Bayton bears carving in a similar style. According to Zarnecki (in Pevsner 1968, 253, fn.), the chancel arch is the work of a Herefordshire mason, very close to Shobdon and probably executedc.1160; it is the finest example of Romanesque decorative sculpture in Worcestershire. Stratford (ibid.) also notes similarities with Rowlstone.

The N doorway capitals seem weaker and more fussy in design and execution than the strong, confident work in the chancel arch. Stratford (ibid.) attributes the N doorway to a local workshop, done after the Herefordshire master responsible for the chancel arch had left the site. The N wall windows show some similarities with the N door at Chaddesley Corbett and the S door at Pedmore, especially the scallop capitals with pointed cones.

Doorways set in a projecting bay, as here, occur in a number of churches in the county (see Preface to Worcestershire).

IX Bibliography