Cathedral faces

As today was grey and windy I did what I've been promising myself and went back to the cathedral for some faces.

The four here are misericords from the early 14th century.  Aren't they wonderful?  They are on a back row of choir stalls. There are many in those back rows but unfortunately you have no choice in what you see - most are cordoned off for most of the year and so inaccessible.  Rats!  I shall have to try and look at them when available.

If you want to know more about what misericords are, Wikipedia describes them like this:
Misericord
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a partially standing position during long periods of prayer.

In extras, for comparison, are two figures on the arms of the front choir stalls.  These are 19th Century (and if you look at the figure on the right in his natty little jacket you probably won't need me to tell you that).  Typical of the Victorians, the wood is heavily polished and very dark in colour.  In my opinion the carving, though amusing, is a lot less subtle.  Added to which the left hand figure looks like someone has thumbed chewing gum into his eyes, though it's probably something less gross!

Hope your day's been a good one  xx