Poppyhead (carving)

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Poppyhead carved as a stylised fleur-de-lys in St Peter's Church, Neatishead St Peter, Neatishead, Norfolk - Poppyhead - geograph.org.uk - 483592.jpg
Poppyhead carved as a stylised fleur-de-lys in St Peter's Church, Neatishead

Poppyhead is a form of carving of the top of the end of a bench or a choir stall. [1] Its name is unrelated to the poppy flower. It is derived, by way of Old French, from the Latin word puppis, which means the poop or the figurehead of a ship. In its simplest, and its most usual form, it has the appearance of a stylised fleur-de-lys. In some cases, it consists of a much more intricate carving; for example in Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh, some of the poppyheads represent the seven deadly sins. [2]

Poppyhead carved as a Green Man Green Man - geograph.org.uk - 1225230.jpg
Poppyhead carved as a Green Man

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Poppyhead may refer to:

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St Peters Church, Minshull Vernon Church in Cheshire, England

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References

  1. Hubbard, Edward (1986), The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd, London: Penguin, p. 481, ISBN   0-14-071052-3
  2. Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1974), English Parish Churches as Works of Art, London: Batsford, p. 155, ISBN   0-7134-2776-0

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