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& Family Statue
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| The statue currently stands
in the Lady Chapel at the left hand side of the church. Following
the restoration of 1990 it spent many years in the baptistry hidden away
but has since been placed back in the church.
The statue is believed to be originally from the Netherlands, dating from around 1500. It is of a type known as "Anne te Drieen" and consists of three figures: St Anne holds her daughter, the Virgin Mary, who in turn holds the Christ child. The three-figure arrangement was, and continues to be, popular both in the Netherlands and Germany and has been a subject for modern artists even in recent years. The story of how the statue came to be in St. Austin's is a mystery, but it is believed to be one several statues uncovered in Ivy Cottage in Northgate in 1756. These statues were hidden behind a false roof in the attic and found by chance during redecorations. It has been suggested that Ivy Cottage was used as secret place of worship for Roman Catholics during the years of persecution following the Reformation. The building, which stood on Northgate near what is now Marsh Way, was demolished in the late sixties to make room for the new road system. |
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dpfgilroy@hotmail.com Dominic Gilroy |
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24 August 2006 |