Poppyhead (carving)

Poppyhead is a form of carving of the top of the end of a bench or a choir stall.

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.

[2] Media related to Poppyheads at Wikimedia Commons