Poppyhead is a form of carving of the top of the end of a bench or a choir stall. Its name is unrelated to the poppy flower. It is derived, by way of Old French, from the Latin word puppis, which means the poop or the figurehead of a ship. In its simplest, and its most usual form, it has the appearance of a stylised fleur-de-lys. In some cases, it consists of a much more intricate carving; for example in Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh, some of the poppyheads represent the seven deadly sins.
References
- Hubbard, Edward (1986), The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd, London: Penguin, p. 481, ISBN 0-14-071052-3
- Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1974), English Parish Churches as Works of Art, London: Batsford, p. 155, ISBN 0-7134-2776-0
External links
Media related to Poppyheads at Wikimedia Commons
 | This architectural element–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |