St James West Hanney

This was the last of the three churches I visited one Saturday and I admit an odd looking church when I fist viewed it with the lack of a Bell tower or spire, instead it has what looks like a huge bellcote on the North side. Some history I found off Wikipedia
"The village had a parish church by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The earliest part of the present Church of England parish church of Saint James the Great is the nave, built about 1150. The north tower was added later in the 12th century and the south transept is 13th-century. In the 14th century the nave was lengthened westward and the south arcade and aisle were added. The chancel was rebuilt in the 15th century. In the 19th century the church was restored, the nave was increased in height with a clerestory, and the south porch was added. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
The tower has a ring of six bells. Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester cast five of them in 1702, but Charles and George Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the other in 1856. St. James' has a Sanctus bell that Robert I Wells of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast in about 1760.There is another small bell that Charles and George Mears cast in 1858, but this is currently unused.
The parish is now part of the Benefice of Vale, along with the parishes of Denchworth, East Challow and Grove."
I will be doing this blog in two parts with the internals next week as there was quite a lot to see

The View of St james from the road outside the church
Left the churchyard path

The huge bell tower which dominates the Norths side of the church

Heading off around the South side

Looking on the South side of the church

And another view a little further West

High up on the South Transept you can see a sundial

The South Transept of Chapel and the West end along with south aisle

The churchyard is quite full when walking in along the path

and looks even more so when viewing along the North side

It also looks very neat and tidy

The path leads around the South side of the church

Where you cans see more older headstones

Again the whole churchyard is kept tidy

Am old fenced tomb which had been forgotten about

Along with a chest tomb

Go on further and you come to an extension for the churchyard

Were you can see a few war graves.

Private G.T. Burnett and Private S.G.Arthurs

Gunner J. Godfrey of the Royal Garrison Artillery

You can see the churchyard here is quite full as well

With many more modern headstones in eveidence

One old wooden cross and the only angel I saw in the churchyard

An unusual headstone in the shape of a millstone

Going back to the main churchyard a chest tomb

and more older headstones at the West end

Back around to the North side

And the churchyard near the porch

I came back the next day as I left my hat in the church and noticed a scratch cross

Above the South side door still in place

Right a new use for a headstone forming a side to a drain, there is another the other side of the door as well

Not sure what the hole was for in the do stone

and this one had a few more

But it was the scratch sundial I came to see

It was mentioned in a book I read so I came back and took a photo of it. Odd to think such a simple thing was used so long ago to tell the time

Have a peaceful weekend
 Click for part two