700 Years Hidden Above Medieval Church....Drone Reveals 'Green Men' Nobody Sees

[00:00:02]Today, let me take you to Warmington, Northamptonshire, UK, to see some mysterious ancient carvings that are more than 700 to 800 years old. In the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, built between 1180 and 1280, lie nine ancient, intricately carved heads, commonly known as green men.

[00:00:23]They're some of the best examples that exist in the UK, but they're situated untouched high in the vaulted ceiling, and it can be so difficult to see them easily. So, with kind permission from the Reverend Annie Goldthorp, I've used my small drone to access them up close and personal to give you an unprecedented, detailed view of these mysterious carvings. But first, let's take a quick look at the stunning stained-glass window. The colors are intense. The nine green men bosses are discreetly high in the apex of the vaulted ceiling. The timber vaulted ceiling has survived centuries of fires, civil wars, and a renovation.

[00:01:03]Here's the first green man with vines coming from his nostrils.

[00:01:07]And as we close in, you can see the remains of blue pigment on his iris from where it [music] seems he was originally painted.

[00:01:15]The meaning of green men carvings been lost in time. There are many explanations, but no actual record's been left. Perhaps they thought it was obvious.

[00:01:25]So, you can let your imagination wander.

[00:01:27]This next green man is my absolute favorite. It depicts what looks like a serene face holding two demons or other creatures that are held behind their ears. You can see the fingers and hands of the owner, too.

[00:01:41]Appropriately for a green man, he seems to have acquired an old bird's nest in his hair, as well.

[00:01:50]Our third green man is surrounded by hawthorn leaves and has a downturned mouth, which is filled with some white lichen debris. You can see how the whole spherical shape has been carved from just one piece of wood with amazing skill.

[00:02:08]Number four green man depicting a protruding tongue.

[00:02:12]Today it's usually a mild gesture of insult, one that could make us laugh, but in the past times the gesture had various meanings such as a warning about lying or gossiping. Or in classical medieval folklore, a protruding tongue was used to ward off evil.

[00:02:30]What was this guy saying? Who knows, it seems to have been lost to us. Still to come are five more incredible green men carvings. This next carving is one of the most intricate, showing strands of hair, intact dental work, and finally carved leaves surrounding the head.

[00:02:48]There's even twigs carved into the hair.

[00:02:57]Like the first green man, the pigment on the eyes is still in evidence.

[00:03:02]Unlike our previous green man, one minute he can look full of mirth and the next minute he can look like an evil grinning clown. Are you able to interpret the expressions [music] any more accurately?

[00:03:13]Perhaps you're a historian and can shed more light on this, which would be fantastic. Just pop in and say hello in the comment section and let us know what you think.

[00:03:24]Carving number six is a disconcerting creation with vines growing out from the eyes.

[00:03:30]Green men are also known as foliate heads, and there are different categories such as sucker types, where vines come out of multiple facial orifices like the eyes, the nostrils, and the mouth, and even the ears.

[00:03:44]The other type is a disgorger or spewer, where vines are spewed out of the mouth.

[00:03:54]If you're enjoying my video and would like to see more like this, please like, share, and subscribe, which will cost you nothing, and drop me a comment. It really does help support my channel, and I love to hear from you.

[00:04:06]Let's get on with the video.

[00:04:09]We still have three stunning carved heads to see, [music] starting with this one, number seven, a foliate head with vines coming out of the mouth.

[00:04:19]Unfortunately, he has lost one of the vines coming out of his mouth, but the beautiful round head shows loads of fantastic detail.

[00:04:29]He's also lost the tip of his nose, and I've noticed that three out of the nine green men have lost the ends of their noses or have quite substantial chunk taken out of their nose.

[00:04:41]So, I don't know if somebody has taken aim at some point and purposely damaged them, or if this is insect damage.

[00:04:49]This guy has two vines coming out of his mouth, so he would be a spewer type of foliate head.

[00:04:56]Unfortunately, he's got lots of damage, but at 700 to 800 years old, it's amazing that any of these carvings are still intact.

[00:05:06]I hope that some careful restoration can be done on these where needed.

[00:05:14]Our final green man looks down with a grimace. A bird has previously nested in the vines, and he's wearing an interesting [music] in the style of the era, which reminds me of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.

[00:05:28]Like two of the other green men, he's sustained some serious damage on his nose.

[00:05:33]And I think that his paler color is a result of some water damage in previous years.

[00:05:47]As we move back into the nave of the church, overhead you can see a timber vaulted roof resembling barrel vaulting, a feature that makes this church stand out as it was only usually found in cathedrals such as York Minster, so it's exceptionally rare.

[00:06:06]It's been a real privilege to make this video. I've long wanted to get up close to these green men and to do so and glimpse into their unchanged structures has given me a glimpse into the past and a world that was vastly different to ours. And I hope that by sharing this video, you can also appreciate some of the green men, too, and the beauty that surrounds this region.

[00:06:29]Check out my walk around the village of Warmington made in the height of spring.

[00:06:33]Just head over to my channel or click the link at [music] the end of this video.

[00:06:38]Please like, share, and subscribe to see some beautiful areas of the UK.

[00:06:42]>> [music] >> And if you'd like to directly support the parish church and ultimately the upkeep of the green men, then please consider a donation of any size by scanning the QR code or just check out the video description.

[00:06:56]Thanks to the Reverend Annie Goldthorp for letting me film and Catherine Baird [music] for some insight into the history of the church.

[00:07:04]Thanks for watching. See you again soon.