By Ellis C Taylor
One of my favourite playgrounds as a kid was the river at Sandford, a village about a 2 mile walk from where we lived and just over 3 miles from the centre of Oxford. On only one or two occasions (honest guv!), my mates and I shinned down the drain pipes on summer evenings and cycled over to the river to wet a line (yeah, I know...).
We'd tell each other ghost stories in the dwindling light and scare each other half to death and then suddenly feel the urge to seek the comforting presence of our mums and dads - who were blissfully unaware of their childrens' absence - until one time mine caught me sneaking in through my bedroom window that is!
One night we actually did see a ghost in Sandford. We were just about to cross the bridge over the millstream (and it was already quite dark) when we spotted a misty spectre staring at us through a gloomy window of the paper mill. We were sure it was the figure of a man in a tunic like the ones worn by the soldiers in Robin Hood. As we would have to pass that way again later (on our way back home) we decided we were too tired to go fishing afterall and we turned our bikes around.
On 30th January 2007 I found myself calling into Sandford again.
Sandford's church - St Andrew
Overlooking the Thames (a.k.a. The Isis) at Sandford is the medieval church of St Andrew. Founded in 1080 by one Jerri de Palences on a hill in the grounds of the manor; the same year as one of its later owners, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta saddled up in Jerusalem. It is also the same year that the Domesday survey got underway. (In the Domesday Book Sandford is listed as belonging to the Benedictine Abbey at Abingdon.) This date number, incidentally, accords with the gematrical number of the feminine, the moon, Venus - the Goddess (Mary). Interestingly the same numbers occur with the planting of a yew tree in the middle of the churchyard by John Roberts, the Parish Clerk, on Good Friday in the year 1800. In time the land was aquired by the Goddess-monickered Magdalen College. 1
The manor house is no more but following a devastating fire that (fortuitously) virtually did for the farmhouse (Temple Farm), that stands on the site, a "Four Pillars Hotel" has risen from the ashes. Students of Templar, Hospitaller and Masonic symbolism will, I'm sure, appreciate the relevance. (For those not so well acquainted please just explore google - and of course (ahem) my new book, 'In These Signs Conquer'.) 2
Four Pillars Hotel. The sign in the foreground announces that the land belongs to Magdalene College.
St Andrew, brother of St Peter, had been a disciple of the Templar and Hospitaller divine, St John the Baptist and thereafter the first disciple of Jesus - both John and Jesus (or the Christ anyway) represent the male aspect of the divine messenger - or, to put it another way, Jesus was married to Mary - as da Vinci, amongst others, optimistically attempts to show us.
Around the middle of the 13th century Sandford became the Templars' head preceptory in the area and they retained it until about 1308, when the Order was suppressed. By 1324 the lands were overlorded by the white and silver crossed Knights Hospitaller, who under one of their present incarnations, St John's Ambulance maintain a presence in the area with buildings in nearby Littlemore, about 1/4 mile away.
Was painted on that wall, beyond my telling
(Line 1080 Geoffrey Chaucer 'The Knight's Tale')
So, there I am driving towards Chez Nous when it occurs to me to turn into Sandford... I oblige and find myself pulling up outside St Andrew Church.
I alight and saunter through the black gate and up the path to the church entrance. I'm surprised to see that the outer door is open - something that I've never found before. (I've called in at the church many times but it is always locked.) So into the porch I go. As I enter I can hear the most beautiful organ music and a male voice that was equally as pleasing. Cautiously I test the latch... and it opens, and as I peek into the church for the very first time in my life my eyes fall upon a tall middle-aged man who is standing beside the organ and engrossed in a book of sheet music.
He looks up, "Hello", he cheerfully offers.
"Is it O.K. to come in?" I enquire.
"Of course." says he, and we exchange a few words before I ask him where the reredos is to be found.
He takes me along the nave to the chancel and points to a large stone panel fixed to the south wall of this breathtakingly beautiful church. The organist gives me a leaflet on the history of the church and then returns to his angelic cause. I felt myself melting into the atmoshere as I meditated upon the reredos and the beautiful stained glass windows before drifting out of the door. It is a very long time since I have felt such joy and unbridled bliss in a church. In that place, in those moments, from every pore, the Goddess sang in all her glory...it was Heaven.
Today was a special day.
And a great Sign was seen in Heaven; a Woman invested with the Sun, and the Moon under her Feet, and on her Head a Crown of Twelve Stars;. and being pregnant...
The reredos
The magnificent, and little known, reredos is believed to have been carved at the beginning of the 15th century from limestone quarried from the Barringtons area, near Burford. The subject is claimed to be 'the Assumption of the Virgin Mary' 3
In its heyday the screen did not adorn the church of St Andrew at Sandford; and its original home is a mystery, they say. The 145 x 98cm carving was unearthed in 1723 having been secreted upside down and before the south porch entrance and employed as a step. The stone was extremely well worn and no doubt close to breaking point before its revelation.
The south porch entrance
Originally it had been painted in such colours as crimson, blue, green and some of it gilded - specks of which remains - and this seems to contradict the style of St Andrew church (although her crown does exhibit a St Andrew's cross...or is it?). 4 Some of the features such as the hands are damaged or broken, possibly due to injury during its removal, or passage, or even during its travails in the underworld (but I think it is possible that some of it may have been intentional). Both hands are broken off at the wrists yet her palms face outwards. Her nose is also scarred.
Intriguingly, paint analysis conducted by Catherine Hassall has shown that the female's gown was painted in crimson. (Revelations 17:4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet.) Mary's wave-like mantle though is azurite blue - phew!
The general consensus, amongst those I have talked to, seems to be that the treasure was hidden from the Puritanical vandal hordes of Cromwell during the Civil War, but is this a definite? If so, then why Sandford? Out of the way perhaps, in an unlikely place - at least to the dull wits of the parliamentarian skinheads. And could it have something to do with the church's proximity to the river? 5
And the Woman led into the Desert, where she has a Place prepared by God
It is unlikely that someone just made off with the icon and decided to bung it in the ground in any old place. There must have been a reason to choose this hiding spot; and to follow on from that would it not be beyond ken that its location would be encoded, if only to aid in its recovery at a safer period in the future? Also I would suggest that those with arcane knowledge would ensure that something of this value would be protected (enshrined) in an energetically suitable incantation. Could St John's Revelations be the key? 6
"And a great Sign was seen in Heaven; a Woman invested with the Sun, and the Moon under her Feet, and on her Head a Crown of Twelve Stars;. and being pregnant, she cried out travailing and being pained to bring forth. And Another Sign was seen in Heaven; and behold! a great fiery-red Dragon, having- seven Heads and ten Horns, and on his Heads Seven Diadems. And his Tail draws the Third of the Stars of Heaven, and cast them to the Earth, and the Dragon stood before That Woman who was About to bring forth, so that when she should bring forth he might devour her Child. And she brought forth a Son, who is to rule All the Nations with an iron Scepter; and her Child was snatched away to God, even to His Throne. And the Woman led into the Desert, where she has a Place prepared by God, that there may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty Days." Revelations 12:1-6.
Could the Desert be sand(ford)?
A pregnant woman Invested in (clothed in) the sun.
The Virgin Mary is rather full-bellied in the reredos and surrounded by a mandorla and 8 angels. To me this mandorla suggests an energetic portal - a doorway between dimensional realms, which is of course, in an observable way, precisely the location it was hidden in. 7
With the moon under her feet.
At her feet are two angels holding a monstrance (moons-trance). 8
And on her head was a crown of the twelve stars.
On her head is a crown bedecked with jewels or stars. 9
Whether the concealment of the reredos was to do with the Puritans' threat or something else altogether is another question. It must be very possible that the piece was secreted for another reason and at a different time. And then, is the subject not the Christian Virgin at all, but the Goddess? (Who the Virgin Mary is really a version of anyway). Her rippling gown gives the impression that she is born(e) on (from) the sea (Mer - Mary), just like Venus.
What a wonderful place for a tribute to the Goddess at the entrance to heaven (which the church building represents) - Mary is afterall known as "The Gate of Heaven". On a green hill overlooking 'the Isis'. Then there is the deliberate placing in the south, not just in the ground but subsequently on the south wall - which is lamented by Charles Tracey in his terrific article on the reredos, A forgotten Assumption of the Virgin: the reredos at St Andrew, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire:
"...the work is grievously disadvantaged in its siting on the south wall of a small single-cell parish church chancel. It receives no natural lighting from behind, and has to compete with a lancet window immediately to its east side."
Another epithet for the Goddess (Isis, Mary et al) is 'Queen of the South'.
Waiting at the tableau
Earlier I suggested that some of the damage to the reredos might be deliberate; but bear in mind too that greater forces than the minds of men are always at work.
The hands of the woman appear to have been palm out, fingers up, in a gesture of 'wait!' and it this is also a sign of time, and of fealty. For me, the manner that the hands seem to have been placed suggest revelation as well - just a glimpse of her middle could be seen then. Now, with the hands broken off her condition is obvious - she is pregnant. Perhaps she is telling us that her child waits to be born?
Open palms also signify destiny when both are revealed one means that which is and the other that which is yet to be. As both are at the same level the suggestion is that all is in balance, probably suspension - again 'waiting'.
Also missing is the left hand of the angel at the left foot of 'Our Lady'. In medieval times (and in ancient times) the left hand was believed to belong to the devil (sinister means 'on the left). It is/was also used to make the sign of the cross in diabolical rites; so it was therefore an evil omen. The hand may have been removed for protection.
Another feature that is broken is the nose of the woman. The nose symbolises, amongst other things, one's direction to travel as well as spiritual nourishment. As it is broken off it suggests limbo - 'waiting' again.
Waiting for what?
Well, how about the Age of Aquarius?
Personally I think Revelations 'a thousand two hundred and sixty' is an intentional jumble of 2160, which is the number of years in a Great Age - the length of time from one astrological age to another. (For us from Pisces to Aquarius). The numbers are repeated again in the construction of the sculpture - 2 small angels, 1 woman and 6 larger angels. There are other signifiers as well but it's probably sufficient to acknowledge that St Andrew was a fisherman (Pisces) and the womb is the watercarrier (Aquarius).
But true-sweet beauty lived and died with him.
(Line 1080 Shakespeare 'Venus and Adonis')
Once outside the church building I made around the churchyard (clockwise) all of the time taking in the architectural features. I was surprised to find that the gravestones were oriented to the east at the rear and mostly to the west at the front of the churchyard. I can't say that I felt the same euphoria outside as I had in.
Rainbows
I had only one true disappointment though and that was that I hadn't brought a camera with me. I'd have loved to have photographed the reredos. I could always return to take photos of the outside but only this once had I been fortunate enough to gain entry to the inside.
The next day, after work I headed for Sandford again. It was a beautiful day and this time I had my camera. As I opened the churchyard gate it was as I expected, the door was shut. I took a few photographs of the church building and the yew tree and then walked around the back to snap the hotel and river. As I did so I passed two men and a lady who were busy chatting. They smiled and I said hello. After taking my photographs I saw that the little group had gone but then my eyes noticed that the lights were on in the church. Hurrying to the church door I found it open.
"Is it ok to come in?" I ventured. The same three people I'd seen earlier were just inside the church. "Yes, do", they answered.
"You're lucky to find the church open," the lady said.
"I know," I said smiling. "I've been here so many times and it is always locked until yesterday when a man was here playing the organ".
"We get so much trouble with vandals, we have to keep it locked. It's such a shame!"
I agreed.
"Come, let me show you this," the lady offered, as she breezed up towards the altar and pointed to the reredos.
"It's wonderful," I answered, "And so is this church."
"Would it be ok to photograph the reredos?" I asked (half expecting a refusal). Other than the photograph on the leaflet the man had given me on my previous visit I hadn't seen a picture of the icon anywhere else - not even on the net. I had wondered whether there was a prohibition for some reason against it being photographed.
"Of course you can", she said kindly, "Take as many photographs as you like."
Before I left the church we had another brief chat and she told me that everyone who comes into the church enjoys the feel of the place.
"I love it early in the morning, when it's sunny," she said. "The sunlight bursts through that window," pointing to the lancet stained-glass window on the east wall. The light streams through in all of the colours of the rainbow." Then she paused... meditating on the window and said, "I especially like it on Good Friday." My ears pricked up big time! This was the same day that the yew tree had been planted in 1800. Friday - the day devoted to Venus. What revelation was I going to hear?
"Good Friday, why?" I eagerly enquired.
"Because it's a 3-hour service and watching the light play through the window it goes by in no time", she answered.
Do you know...after the wonderful experiences I have had there recently I'm seriously thinking of attending a service at Sandford's church of St Andrew...but it won't be on Good Friday!
After all this I expect you are wondering, 'Well, where's the photo of the reredos?'
Good things come to those who wait...enjoy!
© Ellis Taylor
3rd February 2007
Footnotes:
1. Something that may or may not be relevant to this is the multiple sighting of a moon (dubbed 'Neith') around Venus that was calculated to have an orbit of 1080 days and was sighted 18 times. It was first recorded by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1672 (a name that is pertinent to present NASA preoccupations and, of course, the date totals 16 - which relates to the activities of Venus). Neith is the primordial Goddess of the Egyptians and is later interchangeable with Isis (both are Venus). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neith_(moon) (On the night of 20th January 2007 my friend and I witnessed an object cavorting around Venus. See Lights in the sky.)
2. www.tarzey.nildram.co.uk/sandford/sanpevs.htm#Templars
3. Barrington is a name that is well connected to the Templars as, I understand, have been the early lords of the manors of both Great and Little Barrington. Great Barrington also has a St Mary's church.
4. In her book, The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Margaret Starbird, interprets the symbolism of the 'X' in medieval art as a sign of concealed esoteric knowledge. Of course it also denotes a kiss, and much else besides.
5. Between 1642 and 1646 King Charles I made Oxford his capital. On 27th April 1646 the king slipped out of the East gate disguised as a servant and passed, if not through, very close (within a mile) to Sandford on his way to Hillingdon. www.theteacher99.btinternet.co.uk/ecivil/charles_flees.htm ;;
There were two significant periods in English history where any religious ornamentation was considered fair game for destruction. These were during the Reformation under Henry VIII in the 1530s and during the English Civil War (1641-1646)
6. Just some thoughts: Besides an Oxford establishment, what about Godstow Nunnery or Bisham Abbey, both on the River Thames? And then there is Wells Cathedral, known to have employed craftsmen from Oxford - dedicated to St Andrew as well. Its west front was completed in 1260. (a thousand two hundred and sixty Days.)
7. Mandorla: An almond shaped aura or sunburst found on medieval depictions of Jesus and Mary - odd how the same letters are used with 'a' and 'r' added (Ra).
8. Monstrance: A receptacle in which the consecrated Host is exposed for adoration. From Latin monstrum - a portent).
9. As the sculpture is high up on the wall I haven't been able to count the stars on her crown yet.
Also see In The Marian Fields
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