A Brief History of Gargoyles
The origin of gargoyles on churches and castles…
I have long been fond of the sight of a menacing gargoyle peering down on me from a church or castle. They add another dimension to the character of the building, eerie, disconcerting and intriguing all at once. I’ve seen some fine examples in my time here in England, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a trainspotter’s equivelent in the world of medievel masonry but I do cast an inquisitive glance upwards everytime I pass a building worthy of a gargoyle.
On a recent photographic trip with my brother we passed such a place and true to form it had some fine examples. Here’s the church at Old Bolingbroke, sat in the middle of nowhere with a junction that makes Birmingham’s Spaghetti Junction look like a walk in the park…
Old Bollingbroke Church
Now I never knew the true purpose of a gargoyle until recently, I guessed they were used for the purpose of scaring off unwelcome visitors and/or evil spirits but in actual fact their primary purpose was to divert rain water from the foundations of the building. The Catholic church took the idea and ran with it, they used it to scare the Pagan peasants witless and over the ensuing years the gargoyles became less grotesque and in many cases became models of relatives or people of rank and standing in the community. The early examples generally had long necks because of their use as a downpipe of sorts, many were winged monsters or laughing toothless oddities (much like the peasants they were trying to scare!)
Gargoyle at Bollingbroke Church
Above is a photo of one of the church’s gargoyles seconds before the grounds were invaded by a Christening party! There are some better examples higher up towards the roof but for those I shall have to return with a big zoom lens. I know you’ll all be itching to see more examples but you’ll have to be patient!
Here’s a gargoyle which sits in my garden, it’s got nothing to do with rain water and everything to do with keeping my brother at bay 
Crouching Gargoyle
Miles,
Great post !
there’s a theme here that’s worth pursuing. They are of great interest - keep your eyes open for any that may be Templar !
I fancied taking some pics of the various ones I see just to try and find out of any of them could be related to The Knights Templar but as you mention, you generally need a deluxe telephoto lens.
Regular feature for you I hope !
Cheers
Rod
June 25, 2009 @ 8:18 am
Miles,
Fascinating post. I love the black and white. It has a very Gothic feel to go with the subject matter. A deluxe telephoto lens or some climbing gear!
:-)
Does your crouching gargoyle have a name? He must.
Melissa
June 25, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
Rod,
I’ll keep the telephoto in the bag from now on!
Watch this space
Miles
June 25, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
Melissa,
He’s named after my brother as he bears a striking resemblance
Miles
June 25, 2009 @ 9:53 pm
Hey
How did gargoyles supposedly bring good luck??
And why do I see many fo them in a garden?
Thanks
Don
Wisconsin
July 20, 2010 @ 5:43 pm
Don,
Welcome to the site. Not sure about the good luck, their primary purpose after diverting rain water was to ward of evil spirits so maybe the two went hand in hand?
They are common in gardens in the UK too, quite why I do not know but would imagine it is more to do with amusement than anything else.
Kind regards
Miles
July 20, 2010 @ 7:18 pm