Reredos, Sedilia and Piscina, Church of St.Mary, Streatley, West Berkshire.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 31.414 W 001° 08.683
30U E 628708 N 5709681
Fine examples of C19th stonework are present in the arched sedilia, piscina, and a rich reredos by Pearson.
Waymark Code: WMFT4N
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/26/2012
Views: 1
The parish church in Streatley is dedicated to St.Mary. It has a C15th tower with the rest rebuilt in 1865 by Charles Buckeridge in a neo Gothic style in flint, rubble and tile with stone dressings, parapeted gable ends and tiled roofs. It is of a standard layout with a west tower, nave, aisles - north and south, south porch, and chancel with north and south vestries. The arched sedilia and piscina are to be found to the right of the altar in the chancel, whilst the rich reredos in alabaster, by Pearson, is behind the altar.
A Sedile is a seat for the clergy to the right of an altar, often set in a canopied niche in the chancel wall, in this case there are three sedile forming a Sedilia. The canopies are trifoliate with the dividing pillars a pink marble. The Piscina is to the left of the sedilia, it is a shallow basin, supplied with a drain pipe, recessed in a niche, and used to wash the Eucharistic utensils. The Reredos shows Christ Crucified in the central panel with Mary, his mother, and Mary Magdalene, to the left the Infant Christ with Mary and Joseph, and to the right the Risen Christ. All scenes are accompanied by figures of angels and saints and enclosed by a rich framework of pilasters and pinnacles.
John Loughborough Pearson was born in Brussels on 15th July 1817 and was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1880 and died on 11th. December 1897. See:- Wikipedia, Pearson