Saturday 24 October 2015

St Peter & St Paul Yattendon



This was the first of five churches I visited one Saturday  and one I have wanted to visit for a while. The church you see dates back to 1450 though no doubt there was another around here before that.


 St Peter & St Paul taken from the corner of the churchyard






The tower with spire and clock, I confess I missed getting a photo of the clock which looks interesting







 Wood framed entrance porch









view along the path running round the outside of the church to the graveyard at the back










The north side of St peter & St Paul








 The North East end of the church



The buttress on the South West end of the church leading round to the porch


 Inside the church looking along the Nave. As you can see there is a rood screen and at one time it would have had a rood loft as you can see from the gated door on the left under the cross, beside that is the doorway that would have gone to the loft. From what I have read this is one of the best examples around of the stairwell


 The chancel where the sun came out for a moment when I took the photo








On either side of the chancel window you can see these panels 










 The Chancel window which is quite magnificent

 The Altar, I did like the cross with the flowers and the hanging on the altar front




The back of the rood screen from the chancel






One of two sets  the choir stalls




some of the kneelers by the altar rails


more near the pulpit with a beautiful embroidery on the lectern 








It was not easy to take a photo of the organ because of the light coming through the window the pulpit was easier










This shot is from the back of the church



and one I took from the pulpit






The nicely carved font with cover and a view of the arch leading to the belltower


 There was some very nice stained glass through the church






showing various scenes from the life of Christ 
This window is at  the back in the belltower



One of the first things which I noticed was the battlefield cross for Major F W L Gull who was killed in Action 28 Aug 1918. It was over the door that lead to the rood loft






There is a family memorial under one of the stained glass windows
 
This is the chief monument in terms of interest, is that erected to the great Elizabethan soldier, Sir John Norreys. He is known as the Drake of the Army, though he is little remembered today. The long inscription tells is story. It was put up by his collateral descendant, Norreys Bertie, in the 18th century. The information canme from the Royal Berkshire Hitorys





The second was the roll of honour for Yattendon












With a WWI helmet in pride of place over the top




Walking through the church you can see many fine old memorials


















To churchwardens like Paul Waterhouse M.A








 
 



Or Sir John Andrew Bartista Gallini 1728-1805

and the Howard family here on the right









These two to the Rucker family stand out with the coat of arms the lower one Arthur was Neville Chamberlain's Principal Private Secretary




A more recent one to Edward Mauger Iliffe who was first Baron of Yattendon  and the marble one of Alfred Waterhouse who was Lord of the Manor of Yattendon and died in 1905



In the back under the belltower you van see more let in the walls



Heading outside to the churchyard round the back you see a large burial area






With a few war graves
Lieutenant A.L. Ilsley and Private A.T. Pizzey who dies in the First World War







The grass and moss are trying to overcome this grave




One Celtic cross stands out amongst the other graves












The one to the left has a niche in it, I wonder if it held something at one time.  The headstone to the right had a crucifix, something I had not come across before on a heardstone









These four headstones are from the same Family


















And one I noticed to Sir David Llewellyn










The grave of Chef Petty Officer E.S.B Martin of HMS Ganges


I took this photo on the North side of the church while heading back to the car and my next church to visit

I'll leave you with this photo I took in the porch.
Have a peaceful weekend