The Church Explorer

Saturday, 5 April 2025

St Mary Banbury

Back in 2023 I visited St Mary Banbury which unfortunately I found to be locked at the time, later I found out volunteers open at set hours during the day and I had got there long after they had gone. It was a church I would like to have visited. On this Friday when I visited I found out that when I hope to go there it would be closed but when I drove past on my way to Alkerton I saw the doors open. I nearly turned around and went back. After getting the call from my son half way to a second church I passed St Mary again and it was still open. I asked my son of he minded me going there and he came along as well, the church was still open with people having coffee, turned out it was Womens World day of Prayer and they were having refreshments after the service and they did not mind me getting some photos.

This photo was taken back in 2023 hence the closed door.

After going through the entrance doors you are in a circular atrium where you will see this bier, I've come across a lot of these in North Oxfordshire and this one looks like a well restored on now used for leaflets

Looking up at the atrium ceiling

Now I have seen photos of the inside but seeing the place for the first time it looked amazing

The domed ceiling

The church has partly been reordered with a raised platform for the altar which is now used for services

Looking across the altar to the chancel

The chancel and altar rails

The altar sits in a apse with murals around the outside, no east windows

Looking up at the ceiling

And the mural that looks down on you

The organ is over on the north side with a window above

There are more pipes on the east side

Over on the south side murals and stained glass window

Closer view of the murals and stained glass window

Turning around and looking west to the entrance

Looking from the altar rails. What I found interesting was the galleries around the outside of the church to cram in more people, I've never seen galleries in a church before

This is a first, the pulpit is on a purpose built trolley. It must have been moved when the built the new platform for the altar because I think it would have been nearer the chancel back when it was first put in

Looking down from the pulpit

Over in the north aisle where you can see the roll of honor, there are a lot of names on the panel as it was a market town

Memorials above the roll of honor for Bnabury

Opposite is another roll of honor for WWII

Memorial to William John Lidsey

On either side guarding the roll are these statues

More memorials in the church

These two you find in the north and south aisles

Probably the oldest memorials in the church

I could not say what this was used for but you see a bible on display

Treacle Bible also know as the Bishops Bible the name came about because of a translation which is

"Is there not treacle at Gilead?"

Carved eagle lectern

At the back you can see some carvings from the original church

Walking around the church you cannot miss the stained glass window

All with different scenes on them

There are a lot of them

All beautifully done

I love the fact they kept the box pews in the church

Go upstairs to the gallery and there are more stained glass windows to see

Though the galleries were not in use I still went along to take photos, After I thought I should have taken the photos from the opposite side rather than beside them looking up