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Description: | Carved stone head found by a gardener on the grounds of Clitheroe Castle. The head is quite small and incomplete. It probably displays a gargoyle, ape-like monster or bat. It has big ears and protruding eyes suggesting that both needed to be seen from far below. The snout is missing, but most of the fan-shaped crest is still intact. It does not appear to have been cut completely symmetrical; maybe it was meant to display a creature in motion or movement? A flat reverse and a hole suggest that it was propped up or attached with/to an iron bar. Furthermore, there are remains of concrete or a similar building material on the back and neck which suggested secondary (?) use after it fell off the building the first time? The Norman keep of Clitheroe Castle was build around 1186 by Robert de Lacy to protect the administrative centre of his vast estates and is said to be the smallest keep in England. The keep was deliberately damaged after its capture by Parliamentary forces during the civil war, but was repaired in 1848 with smooth-faced limestone blocks, which can be clearly seen.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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