Summary: The rood screen was used to divide the nave and chancel--the secular and the sacred--in parish churches in the Middle Ages. The screen was a visual spectacle, adorned with images of saints and surmounted by the rood--an image of Christ on the cross flanked by the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist--above which was a painting of the Day of Judgement. Most screens were constructed of wood, and are masterpieces of the woodcarver's craft with intricate decoration, and yet were robust enough to support a loft. Steep stone stairs in the church wall gave access to the loft, from where roods were covered in Lent and candles were lit on festive occasions. The rood loft was also a stage where mystery plays were performed, and where musicians played. During the Reformation the roods of most of the nation's screens were taken down. The survivors, often with their images defaced, were lovingly restored and repainted in the nineteenth century. Rood screens can be found in most parts of the country, in parish churches large and small. (Shire Library, 851)

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