The Church Explorer

After my visit to Hornton I followed the narrow roads to come to St Ethelreda Horley where I found another stunning ironstone church. You can read the history belowand it is quite long. Needless to say I had been looking forward to seeing this church for a while though I forgot it had a rood loft until I walked in the church

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Etheldreda, along with the church of St. John the Baptist, Hornton were dependent chapelries of King's Sutton until the middle of the 15th century. St. Etheldreda's is built of local Hornton stone. The church existed by the late 12th century and its Norman central belltower and much of its chancel date from about 1180. Early in the 13th century the nave was replaced with one with north and south aisles and a higher roof.

Early in the 14th century the chancel and both aisles were rebuilt and the south aisle and chancel were given new Decorated Gothic windows. Little of the 13th century nave and aisles now survives except the west wall and three Early English doorways. A clerestory was added to the nave and a porch was added to the repositioned south door. The tower buttresses may have been added at this time. Early in the 15th century the north wall of the north aisle was rebuilt, retaining the 13th century north doorway but gaining new Perpendicular Gothic windows. In about 1600 the west window was replaced with a three-light square-headed one.

Early in the 17th century the chancel was in disrepair and the lay rector was repeatedly asked to fund repairs. In 1621 the chancel was reported to be so "ruinous and much decayed" that the rain came in. In 1632 the rest of the church was alleged to be "ready to fall". The tracery, in part of the east window, was rebuilt c1760 and two of the north windows of the chancel was replaced. By 1879 St. Etheldreda's needed a thorough restoration and the vicar privately wrote that he feared for the safety of the tower. However, the tower was not put in good order until 1915, when the church was restored under the direction of the Scottish architect William Weir.

In 1947–50 the Oxford Diocesan Surveyor T. Lawrence Dale added a chancel screen and rood loft. Dale described this work as "One of the most enjoyable things he ever did", likening it to "putting new wine into an old bottle". St. Etheldreda's interior has Medieval wall paintings: a large and well-preserved one of Saint Christopher, on the north wall, and a rare one of Saint Zita, on the north nave pillar. The tower was repaired in 1785; a stair parapet was removed early in the 19th century. It had a ring of four bells, cast by William and Henry III Bagley of Chacombe in 1706. However two further bells, by John Taylor & Co, were added in 2013. St. Etheldreda's is now one of eight ecclesiastical parishes in the Ironstone Benefice."

South east view of this beautifully colored church

East end of the church with graves of people who wanted to be buried there in the past

North east view

Not easy to get a view of of the north side what the sun is out

West end of the church

South west from the road

South west view

I did not notice the sundial till I looked at the photos so I cropped this from the original photo I took. It was around 3:18 when I took the photo so I'm not sure what time the dial was set to when it was first place where it is

North west view from the road

Windows and door in the west end

I noticed what looks like a sculpture of a bird on this buttress at the west end of the church

Baroque memorial on the wall

Churchyard form the south path

Looking east over the churchyard

I find it quite incredible the inscription is so legible after 350 odd years, the date of Thomas Savel's death was March 6th 1671

From the south looking north

East end graves and memorials

Looking west up the north side of the church

East on the south side

East on the north side

Across the west end of the church

Tomb chests south of the church

Looking over at the graves and tomb chests under the tree on the south side of the church

Looking west

East with a tomb chest in the foreground

The porch

Leading into the door

I did not take a photo of the view from the door after I spotted the rood loft I went and took some from the back of the church. The first three you see are taken with my camera using the wide angle lens