Hunky punk

Last updated
The 15th-century tower of St Mary, Yarlington, Somerset, with crocket pinnacles and hunky punks on the corners. Tower, St Mary's Church, Yarlington - geograph.org.uk - 1012782.jpg
The 15th-century tower of St Mary, Yarlington, Somerset, with crocket pinnacles and hunky punks on the corners.

A hunky punk is a grotesque carving on the side of a building, especially Late Gothic churches. Such features are especially numerous in Somerset (in the West Country of England). [1]

Contents

Though similar in appearance to a gargoyle, a hunky punk is purely decorative, with no other functional purpose (often referred to as a grotesque). A gargoyle is not strictly a hunky punk, because a gargoyle serves to drain water off the roof through its mouth. An example might be found at the corner of a church tower, along the coping ridge below any castellations. Often there are carvings on each corner, yet the roof may only drain in one direction and so there might be three hunky punks and one true gargoyle.

Hunky punks are often short squatting figures typical of those found in some Somerset churches; however, hunky punks come in many shapes and sizes, mostly in middle to late medieval construction onwards. Some theories consider that the balance of good and evil in church design was to remind worshippers of the narrow path they tread, which was present in everything. This supposes that, for every good and benign creature (such as a saint or an animal) to signify purity, there had to be an opposite to bring out the fear of evil. In York Minster, for example, the carvings in the chapter house, which are particularly obscene and which were supposedly created as caricatures of the then dean and chapter, were put there above the seats to create an opposite to each occupant, who one might like to assume was not in fact the foul person their carvings made them out to be.

The origin of the term hunky punk has been ascribed to the words hunkers (meaning 'haunches') and punchy ('short-legged'). [2]

Examples

The church tower of St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbotts has eight hunky punks around its top. They depict a person playing the bagpipes, a lion-dog (Chinese guardian lion), a goat, a dragon, a Chinese dragon, a primitive dragon, a winged lion and a lion. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gargoyle</span> Exterior building sculpture

In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize potential damage from rainstorms. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually elongated fantastical animals because their length determines how far water is directed from the wall. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle Abbots</span> Human settlement in England

Isle Abbots is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, around 7 miles (11.3 km) south-east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The village had a population of 205 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grotesque (architecture)</span> Fantastic or mythical figure used as architectural element

In architecture, a grotesque or chimera is a fantastic or mythical figure used for decorative purposes. Chimerae are often described as gargoyles, although the term gargoyle technically refers to figures carved specifically as terminations to spouts which convey water away from the sides of buildings. In the Middle Ages, the term babewyn was used to refer to both gargoyles and chimerae. This word is derived from the Italian word babuino, which means "baboon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset towers</span>

The Somerset towers are a collection of distinctive, mostly spireless Gothic church towers in the county of Somerset in south west England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St John the Baptist, Churchill</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St John the Baptist in Churchill, Somerset, England, was largely built around 1360 and is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Kingston St Mary</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary in Kingston St Mary, Somerset, England, dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bishops Lydeard</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England, dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St John the Baptist, Hatch Beauchamp</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St John the Baptist in Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset, England, was built in the Norman period and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Staple Fitzpaine</span> Church in Somerset, England

Church of St Peter, Staple Fitzpaine is Norman in origin, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Holy Cross, Middlezoy</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of the Holy Cross in Middlezoy, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westonzoyland</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Westonzoyland, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Bartholomew's Church, Lyng</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Bartholomew at East Lyng in the parish of Lyng, Somerset, England dates from the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary, North Petherton</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary in North Petherton, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a grade I listed building. It is on the Heritage at Risk Register due to the condition of the roof and north aisle parapet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Brent Knoll</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Michael at Brent Knoll, Somerset, England dates from the 11th century but has undergone several extensions and renovations since then. It has been designated as a grade I listed building. There is a Norman doorway however the rest of the church dates from around 1290. The north aisle was built in the late 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary and St Peter, Winford</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Anglican Church of St. Mary and St. Peter in Winford, Somerset, England, dates from the 15th Century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbotts</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Isle Abbotts, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century with several restorations since. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of All Saints, Langport</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of All Saints in Langport, Somerset, England, has 12th-century origins but was rebuilt in the late 15th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Holy Trinity, Long Sutton</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Long Sutton, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Mudford</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Mary in Mudford, Somerset, England, dates from the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St James, Curry Mallet</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St James is a Church of England parish church in Curry Mallet, Somerset. It has 13th-century origins and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Wright, Peter Poyntz (2004). Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving (2 ed.). Heart of Albion Press. ISBN   978-1872883755.
  2. 1 2 St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbots: Church Guide, published by Isle Abbots PCC, no date

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.