St Michael at the North Gate Oxford

 

   St Michael at the North gate is a short walk from where St Mary is along the High Street. It is a church I have been busting to visit for years. There is little to look at of the church other that what you see from the road and there is no churchyard. St Michael at the North Gate has it's own Wiki page so click on the link to read it. What I will say is the church was Originally built around 1000–1050 and the tower that was built in 1040 and has one of the few Saxon towers  around

 From the road the south side of the church

South view from the road, there is very little churchyard to see

The tower is undergoing some restoration work

South side of the church

West end and the Saxon tower

 

Entrance doorway

 

Inside is beautiful and worth coming to see

Looking down the nave

In the chancel

Up near the altar rails

Altar and east window

Looking back through the chancel to the west end of the church

Sidilia seats

North wall you cans see these wonderful memorials

Mrs Anne Harris 1685

This one is not so easy to read

Alice died in 1695

Eagle lectern and pulpit

No one had a problem me getting a photo from it

The organ looked amazing and I loved how some of the pipes came out horizontal 

Under the organ are the choir stalls

I have to assume this is the lady chapel 

Altar and reredos

Which look beautiful

Blessed Virgin with Holy Child

St Frideswide and St Mildred abbes of Minster

The stained glass panels 

North window

Forces flags 

Altar and beautiful kneeler 

Church banner 

I think this is St Michael the archangel 

St George and I don't know the other figure 

West wall of the south aisle 

There are a lot of really old memorials around the church the oldest is 1603 most recent 1687

This one I could not read

City of Oxford coat of arms

Old church chest

WWII memorial 

Oxford City Police force memorial WWI 

 One from WWII. There look to be some I missed so M may drop back in again

The gallery was open and the small museum but the tower was closed so I will return later in the year for some more photos but I did get a nice view down the church 

Wide view

centered on the nave

The font which if you read the note below you can see is well traveled

 

The information is worth reading 

Over six hundred years is right it looks Norman and I like the fact it came St Martins church because the only other thing left you can see is Carfax Tower and a few graves beside it.

Till Next time may I wish you all a peaceful week 

St Mary the Virgin Oxford

 

 I'm now on the final few churches featured in the book Oxfordshires Best Churches and this week I start with one of Oxfords Dreaming Spires University Church of St Mary the Virgin. as it is known. I have been writing the blog since 2012 and though I only live half hours drive away and worked in Oxford for a number of years I am only now starting to visit the churches in Oxford. Normally I would cut and paste the history from Wikipedia but not this one, there is whole Wiki page on it which you can read in the link.

You might want to get a coffee for this one 

 Managed to take a photo from a cross the road without busses or tourists  there are few external photos to get of the outside and no headstones to see but I will show what I took around the outside then go in.

 

 

I had to wait for the van to move out of the way

 

 The spire which is stunning when you look at the carvings

 

Closer view of the carvings on the spire 

 

 

North

 

 

Up close

 

 Carving closeup 

 

Inside the clock works

 

The clock workings

Up close with the carvings

Collage of the spire carvings

The porch which is quite amazing 

The carvings over the top are quite beautiful 

Inside looking through the arches

Down the nave

The chancel arch the organ is on the top of the screen

New altar used in services with the organ 

The chancel which is quiet open 

Altar and huge east window

The reredos beneath the east window

Altar with paining of Madonna and Child on the panel behind

Looking back to the organ, I thought the guy you see was just sorting office work for the church but he plays the organ so we were treated it its sounds while walking around

Looking down to the west window and gallery

The stunning west window

 

Some of the panels from it

In the chancel you will find the Sidilia seats

Along with this memorial

There are lots of memorials to see

Some very elaborate

Lots of floor memorials as well

 

 

 Some which are really old

and want to be remembered

Nicely carved church chest

Choir stalls

The pulpit which I was told I could not go up for a photo, fobbed off IMO 

Internal Porch 

Which has a beautiful window over it

In fact there are more beautiful stained glass windows to see

I think you could spend a while looking at each

They are just quiet stunning

East window in the south aisle

More memorials, one on the lower right looks like the side of a tomb

Even more memorials in the north entrance

The tomb of Adam de Brome

It sits in the north aisle 

Cameo memorial 

This is an old roll of honor dedicated to the men of the Oxfordsire light infantry who died in Balochistan between 1885-86

Lt Col Skinner Ramond Sebastian MC died at Rouen 23rd March 1918

Collage of memorials

Memorial of Johannes Wallis

Some of the angel carvings around the church

Martyrs memorial  they were al executed in Oxford 

Couple of modern memorials top one looks older than it is the other has the hospital named after him

Poppyhead 

That is on the end of the pews 

Box pews in the south aisle 

Old brass memorial , the lady show has 12 children, four boys and 8 girls, the inscription is not easy to read

The font, could not tell you its age

Windows over the arched and the angels looking down

Some from the balcony 

South asile

Nave

From near the west window

Closer to the organ

I will leave you with this view of the magnificent organ on the screen, what I cannot do it let you hear it what is I could do while taking this.

Too Next time May I wish you all a peaceful week