Overview
During my stay at the British School at Rome, I worked on my project entitled The Anglo–Norman Pulpitum at Ely: A Reconsideration of its Form, Function, and Context. The project was conceived as revision of my Master’s thesis (completed 2022), which analysed 18th century drawings of the now-lost pulpitum (screen) at Ely, and utilised extant Italian examples to offer new suggestions regarding its appearance and function.
Research
Upon arriving in Rome, I spent several days visiting existing screens in churches including San Clemente and Santa Maria in Cosmedin. With dates ranging from the 6th to the 13th century, these low marble enclosures offered valuable models for understanding the function of screens in monastic settings. Particularly illuminating were the screens’ accompanying ambos – raised platforms accessible by steps – whose functions likely paralleled, at least in part, those of Anglo-Norman pulpita.
Once I had visited the relevant screens in Rome, I undertook a comprehensive review of relevant texts, addressing both familiar sources and those I had been unable to consult during my Master’s research. Especially useful was the Hertziana library, where I spent several days consulting texts on the form and function of both English and Italian screens. Although the Art & Architecture section of the BSR library was under renovation during my stay, I used this space to read online articles as well as some of the more niche texts I had brought with me from England. I was also able to visit the Vatican Library, where I consulted a 10th century Exultet roll that was used in southern Italy for the Easter liturgy, as conducted from the ambo. Both my visits to the Hertziana and the Vatican (as well as my later visit to the Galleria Borghese) were only made possible through the help of Stefania at the BSR, who was immensely helpful and efficient.
Wider Impact
Midway through my fellowship I decided that, whilst I could spend the remainder of my time in Rome exclusively in the library fine-tuning the article, some of the more routine tasks could be completed on my return to England. Therefore, I decided to maximise my time in Rome by combining focussed writing with broader exploration of the city’s art and architecture. This was undoubtedly the right decision, as it was on these more spontaneous visits that I did some of my best thinking for my project. Whether it was stumbling across the 5th century Santa Maria Antiqua church (with its post holes indicating the past existence of a marble screen) or visiting the 1st century BCE Ara Pacis (a pagan altar whose use of high marble walls demonstrated the longstanding practice sacred screening devices) – these discoveries significantly influenced my understanding of the subject.
Overall, then, my stay at the BSR was invaluable in many respects. In the first instance, it has helped me get everything in place to finish my article on the pulpitum at Ely. Not only did it give me the time and space to think about this project which otherwise would never have been revisited, but exploring the churches of Rome directly affected how I was thinking about screening practices and placed my ideas in a much broader context. Exploring Rome also informed my PhD more broadly, reminding me of the ‘Roman’ in the ‘Romanesque’ and allowing me to think of the connections between the 12th century and the Classical past – a perspective that is all too easy to lose when maintaining a narrow research focus.
BSR Support and Community
The support from the BSR was overwhelmingly positive. I felt immediately welcomed into the community and everyone I met was friendly, helpful and interesting – whether it was postdoctoral candidates in early medieval history, professors of classics, or renaissance art historians. I particularly valued the opportunity to be introduced to Bob Allies, the funder and founder of my fellowship, at the council dinner. Subsequently being invited to do a short presentation at the upcoming architecture talk at his firm was welcome also, and this will allow me to round off my work at the BSR nicely as well as connect with fellow architectural historians.
If I had one piece of advice on how to improve BSR support, I would say a brief tour of the facilities on arrival would have been helpful. There were a few aspects of BSR living that I didn’t know about until towards the end of my stay that would have been useful – such as the water fridge and the bikes (which would have been a great alternative to Rome’s somewhat temperamental public transport system!).
Outcomes
I will always look back on my month spent at the BSR with great fondness – not only because of its impact on my own work but also because of the numerous friends and colleagues I have met along the way. I certainly hope to return in the future. In the meantime, I plan to finish writing up my article over the summer and will submit it to the BAA for consideration as a short article.
I would like to sincerely thank Bob Allies, the BAA and the BSR for this wonderful opportunity. Being able to spend a month in Rome to work on one’s research is the type of offer that doesn’t come around often, and it’s safe to say that it has really changed the way I think about my research. I found the whole experience incredibly transformative, both for my present article on the Ely pulpitum and my broader development