The Reformation’s Effect on Church Architecture – Rood Lofts and Screens

The Reformation of the English Church was a shift from Catholicism to Protestantism during the 16th Century and was started by Henry VIII. It is often seen as a destructive event due to the amount of change it caused to ecclesiastical architecture, especially on Abbeys and Monasteries. However, this will focus mostly on how the Reformation affected church architecture, with examples from various Herefordshire Churches.

One of the changes that occurred was the removal of a rood screen and loft. It is now very rare to see a complete rood screen and loft unit but some great examples can be found of either a rood screen or loft separately.

This decorative screen would have been between the chancel and nave of a church, however sometimes parts of the screen has been used in other parts of the church.

In Lea, parts of the rood screen have been used as a screen for the chapel originally created for the De Lacy family. The removal of this was to make the religious services appear more open and allowed the average person to be able to witness the raising of the Host – the symbolic blood and body of Jesus. It has been restored by the Victorians with the original rood screen being the decorative parts supported by newer wood behind.

It is clear to see that these screens would have been highly decorated pieces of woodwork, and in the case of Welsh Newton a highly decorated partial stone screen. Both of type these screens are very rare examples of survival but it is clear to see with these what type of screen would have been in all churches during the Medieval and early Tudor Period. These would have all have required very skilled craftsman to have created these and would have taken time and effort. However, when Edward VI decreed in 1547 that these should be removed as part of his Protestant Reformation changes, most churches would have had to submit to the required check to ensure that the roods were removed along with other elements of the church architecture. Whilst the majority have been removed and destroyed by looking at the photos you can see that evidently not every single one was removed. Although, the reasons for their survival are often unknown there are a few suggestions such as location, or influence of local nobility.

During the reign of Mary I, these roods were allowed to be put back into place, to be later ordered to be removed by Elizabeth I.

The rood screen at St Saviours, Dartmouth

A close-up of the rood screen at St Saviours, Dartmouth

It is believed that initially people hid their rood screens like this one above at St Saviours, Dartmouth, just in case Catholicism came back after Elizabeth I.