St Albans Mayor to celebrate the conservation of Christopher Inn Succubus
Images: 1) Christopher Inn passageway 2) Succubus before conservation 3) Conserved succubus in her original devilish black 4} Map. All photos © Tim Boatswain
The Mayor, Cllr. Anthony Rowlands, will visit and celebrate the conservation of the Christopher Inn Succubus on Tuesday 3rd October at 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
There is a timbered and cobbled passageway between French Row and Christopher Place, once the entrance from the stable yard of the Christopher Inn which was one of the most famous hostelries in St Albans. The Inn dates from the 16th century and it had a fine reputation for several centuries but by the 19th century it had declined and was described by one commentator as catering for, “all kinds of vagabonds and disreputable persons".
At the west end of the Christopher Inn passageway, there is a carved wooden bracket representing a grotesque: in this case, a succubus, which in folklore is a demon in female form that appears in dreams to seduce men (the male counterpart to the succubus is an incubus). The purpose of such grotesques is debated but the most likely explanation for placing one outside an inn was to ward off evil spirits; so, despite her voluptuous appearance, because her goat's feet - indicating a demon - were shackled, she was a symbol that the inn was safe. A strange piece of magic in a Christian community. She was not a sign of a brothel as some mistaken guidebooks state.
The Christopher Inn succubus was not in a good state, affected by dampness over the years and crudely painted over, she needed conservation. Following permission from the Council and advice from English Heritage, Conservation 50 commissioned the conservator Paul Ferguson MBE, ACR to survey her condition and then to conserve her, which took several weeks.
The conservation of the succubus has been made possible through donations to Conservation 50, who give a big thank you to all those who contributed to saving this important piece of St Albans' heritage.
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For images, interviews, or additional information and quotes, please contact: timboatswain@hotmail.com or 07873 586074