St Peter Woolhampton

These photos were taken back in 2011 and I had forgotten I had visited the church until I looked at the map for churches I needed to visit around that area. I realised I visited an Abbey and church just along the road so a quick look though my archive showed I had. 

The first church there was built in 1291 and restored in 1869 and there is a nice history written about it on St Peters church website

The church is part of the Benefice of Aldermaston & Woolhampton which comprises of six churches  Aldermaston, Beenham, Brimpton, Midgham, Wasing and Woolhampton, so far I have visited one other which means four more to visit that are not on my list.

The entrance to the churchyard, well tow one an odd looking type that I have not seen before

Getting nearer you get a good view of the church and porch

In the churchyard you can see the village war memorial

The churchyard does go back quiet a way

Above an entrance to what looks like a transept

Far end of the churchyard is a kissing gate entrance. Nearby is a family vault

 

inside is the grave of Captain R.D.M.Gurowski

The grave of WO 

G Humphries is in the churchyard

The Norths side of the church looks very busy with a chapel and vestry

The front of the church at the West end you can see this family vault

I will leave you with this view of the Spire
till the next time I wish yo a peaceful weekend

All Saints East Lockinge

This is one church I have been trying to visit for a while since seeing it while driving past it one day. Finally got around to visiting it the other day. Looking at where it is built you would be forgiven in thinking it was built by the manor but in fact it is older than it looks as I found out when I noticed a date for the tower of 1564 on the side of the church. 

The history is from Wikepdia.
"The Church of England parish church of All Saints was built in about the middle of the 12th century. The Norman north door of the nave survives from this time. The chancel and the south chapel parallel with it were built in the 13th century but the chancel was rebuilt early in the 14th century. A south aisle was added in the 13th or early in the 14th century. A window in the north wall of the nave was added in the 15th century, but was altered to accommodate the west belltower that was added in 1564.
In 1886 the south aisle and chapel were demolished, the three-bay arcade between the south aisle and the nave was rebuilt and a new nave and chancel were built in place of the demolished aisle and chapel. This became the main body of the church, leaving the earlier nave and chancel as a north aisle and chapel. The reredos paintings are by the Arts and Crafts movement artist Kate Bunce and their beaten metal frames are by her sister Myra Bunce. Lady Jane Lindsay, presumably a relative of the Colonel, designed the glass of the east window.
The tower has a ring of four bells. The oldest is the treble, cast in 1578 by Joseph Carter of Reading, Berkshire, who later became the master founder of Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The third bell was cast at Reading in about 1599. Robert II Wells of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast the tenor bell in 1793 and he and James Wells cast the small Sanctus bell in about 1795. William Taylor cast the second bell in 1852, presumably at the foundry that the Taylor family then had in Oxford. Currently for technical reasons the bells are unringable.^"
Unfortunately for me I found the doors locked to the church so no photo's inside

You have to come down a long a drive to get to the parking area near the church, then you are greeted by these gates that open to a path taking you to the church. Either side you find it is fenced off

The entrance to the church is though the porch on the South side this one is on the North side

Over to the left you see the bell tower on which is a sundial the marking on which are still visible

Over to the right past  the fence the South side of the church extends in the pastureland

Go over the stile beside the West end of the church and you get to see the end of the South aisle and belltower

The West end of the church looking up the belltower

Going around to the North side and a gated and fenced path leading to the porch that shelters the North door

The North side of the belltower and the date plaque showing 1564

Looking across the churchyard to the North side of the church

The East end and South aisle

The south aisle and side chapel


Some of the headstones near the fence

More near the boundary which are in the nettles

The churchyard seems like it is in the pastureland though not far away seem to be boundary markers for the churchyard

Couple of tombs, one seems longer than the other indicating they were quite tall

 The top of one of the tombs

View of the two tombs with the longer on In the foreground

 Above this tomb is on the East end of the church and belonged to a past rector of the church

By the North porch you can find this old headstone

 That is all I can show you for this week, hopefully I will get to return to take some photos inside. Until next time have a peaceful weekend

St Bartholomews Chapel

Now this is one place that I have wanted to see for quite a while, best of it all is I never knew about it and I only live a few miles away. I found out after seeing photos on Flickr. After finding the place on a map I went along one afternoon for a visit.

"In 1724 Henry Alnutt, a lawyer of the Middle Temple in London, established a set of almshouses at Goring Heath. They form three sides of a courtyard, flanking a chapel of the same date. In the 1880s a school was built beside the almshouses in what was intended to be the same architectural style. A post office was added in 1900. 

Alnutt also left a continuing income from his estate at Goring Heath to teach, clothe and apprentice boys from five parishes. One of the parishes was Cassington in West Oxfordshire, where Alnutt's charity established a small school for boys. In 1833 the Allnut school was absorbed into a new Cassington parish school, which in 1853 became Cassington's present St. Peter's Church of England primary school.^"

Not easy to miss the big sign telling you what is there

Above the view of the Almshouses as you come down the drive

The chapel is right in the centre of them so at the time very important

The clock I am unsure about but would think it a later addition

The will here makes interesting reading though I do find it hard to make out some of the words

Normally the chapel is open as there is a resident rector but he was away and it was locked but as luck would have it one of the residents of the Almshouses had a key and let me in. Interesting thing he told me was the benches used to face inwards towards the aisle and when the place was refurbished  the oak doors from the alms houses were used to make new benches which you see here and now fave towards the altar., I like the recycling of the doors

The Altar in the apse on the end of the chapel

The window and altar

The Altar itself

Altar cross & candle holders

Rather nice pulpit and sounding board. I wonder if it is neaded being the place was so small

Looking down from the pulpit

The person on the left is the Executor of the will Richard Clement and to the right

Henry Alnut the benefactor

Prayer boards along the wall

The I Believe and Lords Prayer

Plaque commorating the retoration of the Almshouses

This is a nice piece of art on it's own

which I presume this is a font

Another view form the pulpit

The small organ in the chapel and one of the floral displays under the busts

Panoramic shot of the apse

and another of the kneeler around the altar rails

Which is one of the niceset I have seen

I spiotted a small cemtery at the back and wentto have a look

Most o fthe crosses were quite old

and the grass was all neatly cut

I have to assume the graves were of the past residents though could well have been of some of the wealthy parishoners who came to the capel services

They have footsones as well

memorial plaque on the wall

and a view of the how cemetery. There were quite a number od samml memorials to people who were residents of the Almshouses you can see in the grounds

With that I will wish you a pleasent weekend till next time