The Holy Ascension Littleworth

This was the first of the four churches I visited from the recent blogs I have written and I asked if it could be opened for me to get some photos. I found it was on arrival so got on with taking some pictures for you. The history I found on Wikipedia is short but tells enough
The Church of England parish church of The Holy Ascension has been on the same site since the 12th century. However, the present building was designed by HJ Underwood of Oxford and built on the original Norman foundations in 1839. Its chancel was rebuilt in 1876. The church is a Grade II listed building.

From the roadside the church is visible between the trees

The double gate here opened out to the path leading to the church

You pass qute a few graves

Around the North side of the church

The East end with a single cross in the centre

Right Back around looking along the South side

The chancel end with Priest door

The West end from over in the carpark which I suspect was the old school playground at one time

The West end with the porch that takes you to the church

in the entrance to the church inside the porch you will find a verse around it

Inside you look down the aisle to the chancel arch

Further on through the arch is the chancel

Inside choir stalls and the altar

Looking back to  the entrance at the back

One of the choir stalls on the South side of the chancel

On the sill behind the altar is a very simple wood cross, while over the priest door is the Roll of Honour

The back of the church with the Organ over on the South side

One side of the chancel arch you can see the these enamelled  tin plaques while the other is the pulpit with sounding board

View from the pulpit along the nave

There are only a couple of windows with stained glass the right hand one is the central East window while the one to the left is in the chancel

This painting is in the nave

The church chest looks like it is a little older than the church

The Font with nice floral display

Outside the churchyard has a few headstones scattered around

Most seem to be on the West end of the churchyard

The North side has the odd one

You will find some more recent ones

Some family graves

Looking across towards the South side of the church from the East end

This seat is just inside the East side entrance

Above the single angel you can see in the churchyard.
Right the South side churchyard

Looking West across the South of the church

North on the West end of the church

The headstone of Private T.J.Horne

A last look of the Holy Ascension Church and churchyard

Till Next time have a great weekend
Dedicated to the memory of Cliff who I used to work with and passed away peacefully in his sleep the other night, Cliff was a bell ringer of local renowned at St Andrews East Hagbourne
RIP

St Mary the Virgin Longcot

Longcot is not far from Faringdon and a short way from the A420, you could easily pass by but you would be missing a beautiful little church.
"The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin has a 13th-century Norman nave and chancel. One lancet window on the north side of the chancel is original but all other the current windows were inserted later. On the north side of the church they include one two-light Decorated Gothic and one four-light Perpendicular Gothic window. The pulpit is Jacobean.
The tower was rebuilt in 1721 or 1722. Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester cast five new bells in 1722, followed by the treble bell in 1729 to complete a ring of six.
St Mary's is now part of the Church of England Benefice of Shrivenham and Ashbury, which also includes Bourton, Compton Beauchamp, Fernham and Watchfield".

On going through the main gate you see the village war memorial near the path leading to the church

Above the East end of the church with the South East view here on the left

Here we look over at the South side of the church

Another South side view with the belltower

Couple more views of the West end showing the Bell Tower

The porch taking you into the church

Where you pass this little display on your way in

On entry to the church you can look down the nave towards the Chancel

The altar dressed looking very simple with a beautiful floral display nearby

Behind the altar the East window letting in light

Looking down the nave from the back of the church

The chancel with choir stalls either side

The Jacobean pulpit

Above looking from the pulpit
Right looking to the back from the centre of the church

The other way to the chancel arch
The organ looks quite modern

Above the organ
Right looking over towards one of  the South windows

Above a memorial plaque to a couple who died on the Titanic

Left the floor has a lot of tomes let into it

The stones that are let in the floor are shaped like headstones

There are a couple of memorials on the walls of the church

But I fell the one that stands out most is this one to Earnest Courtney Carter and his wife Lilian who died when the Titanic sank

The plaque telling you the story of how it came to Loncote and a close up of the couple

Another shot of the pulpit

The stained glass around the church the top two are small and either side of the chancel arch


The one on the right is more modern and near the sill you can see a bust

The bust is of a local Ted Ball who seemed to have been quite a character

The windows were all dressed with displays

Above the East window behind the altar

Left the floral display near the altar and a Doll which is part of the window display

The displays were part of the Harvest Festival

This one with flowers was using a watering can

Baskets of vegetables and fruit

On the font another floral display

Outside a walk around the churchyard showed that the older headstones were near the church on the North side

As you went further East the headstone were more modern













Looking towards the North side of the church across the churchyard

Looking West over the more modern headstones

The path from the east end gate in the churchyard

This monument was on the South side of the church

The monument from the look of the carving was quite modern though I did not read the plaque attached to it

Left the headstones here are near the West end

The churchyard near the west end of the church

The West end headstone are a mixture of old and more modern

Some of the older headstone on the North side

Looking East along the Northside with a
tomb in the foreground

Monument near the porch in the church

Last look of the South side of St Mary the Virgin

I will leave you with this shot of the War memorial with the church behind

Till Next time I wish you all Peaceful week