Many thanks to Denise and Geoff Wheatley for their Sandwich Filler Talk yesterday on “Nattes in the Landscape”. A project comparing Modern Day Wolds Churches to the Nattes drawing of the church from the 1790’s also looking for where the stone for the church was quarried and how much would be needed.
During their early research into information about Sutterby Church, they discovered a large (A3 SIZE) 4 volume book of drawings of Lincolnshire Churches and other buildings. It was commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks of the Revesby Estate and contained about 700 drawings by Jean Claude Nattes.
The drawings show what the buildings looked like a they were drawn “Warts and All”. They show broken brickwork, collapsed roofs, missing plaster and overgrown churchyards, if that was a true representation. BUT most of all they show what the building looked like THEN. From paperwork sent between Sir Joseph and J.C. Nattes it is known when the drawings were done and how much they cost.
The churches were more than 400 years old then and had had some repairs and changes, but it shows them before the “Victorians Improved them,” many beyond recognition.
Many of the Wold’s churches do not know of the existence of these drawing, although some do and display copies of the drawings in the church.
Very interesting. Would love to see some drawings of some of the Churches.