Grotesques, Green Men and Glorious Angels
The Church of St Mary and St David in Kilpeck in Herefordshire has been a centre for Christian worship since the 12th century, and today is a place of pilgrimage.
From the Gorgon to the Gift Shop: A Brief Archaeology of the Evil Eye
The matiasma is an apotropaic amulet designed to ward off the evil eye in Greek folklore.
#PhallusThursday – The Penis as Potent Symbol
Many classical sculptures today have lost their penises to time and prudery but the ancient world was awash with explicit graphic imagery.
Built with the Bones of the Dead: The Hidden Church of San Bernardino, Milan, Italy
The most interesting parts of Milan are hidden in plain sight. This city, once an ancient Celtic settlement conquered by Romans and now considered the fashion capital of Europe, isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when planning for your holidays in Italy. Flashier and more popular choices like Venice, Florence or Rome are the usual tourist […]
The Calderstones: Invoking the Spirits of Place
South Liverpool, where I was born and live still, is a place full of green-spaces. Its abundance of woodlands, parks, cemeteries, playing fields and golf courses are linked by an intricate network of narrow, bramble-lined public footpaths and overgrown roadside verges. The more romantically inclined might be tempted to call them faerie paths, or corpse […]