Corpus of Percy Bacon & Brothers

St Mary's, Southery. Reredos by Percy Bacon & Brothers. Designed by Ernest Geldart.

Reredos upper section with carvings of local saints and a crucifixion scene.

Crucifixion scene detail.

Altar table and lower panels of the reredos.

Carving of St Edmund King of the East Angles holding a sceptre and arrows, the latter the implements of his martyrdom.

Carving of a royal femal saint holding a book and crozier signifying the status of an abbess, possibly St Kineswide or St Kyneburga, both of whom founded abbeys in Cambridgeshire.

St Mary, Southery. Reredos and altar table.

Posted 13 May 2026.

Much of the fitting out and decoration for the new church of St Mary seems to have been designed by Ernest Geldart. These included the altar table, reredos, altar cloth, altar rails and organ case. It is known that Percy Bacon & Brothers were engaged to execute the reredos,¹ but what other involvement the firm had has not been determined. The lower part of the reredos is rather plain, the inset panel being painted dark green with a repeating pattern of gold fleur de lys, emblematic of the Virgin whose image is represented in the window in the east wall behind - the two outer lancets making up an annunciation scene. Above that however, is a beautifully sculpted cornice emblazoned with vines and a filligree parapet, which in turn is topped by an extravegant niche in Baltic oak adorned with carved figures of local saints, and inset with a crucifixion scene painted in bold colours and gold. The saints represented are:

Bottom left: St Edmund, King of the East Angles.
Top left: St George.
Bottom right: A crowned saint and abbess. This possibly represents Kyneswide or Kyneburga, daughters of King Penda of Mercia, both of whom founded abbeys in Cambridgeshire.
Top right: A saint with spear and sword - possibly St Alban.

The reredos, altar table and rails were a gist of Mrs Edmund Hall of Myland Rectory.²

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1. Downham Market Gazette - Saturday 06 February 1897, p4. Report on the installation of the reredos.
2. Ibid.