Saturday 19 October 2019

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


9 comments:

  1. You can feel the history of this place.

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  2. What a beautiful and fascinating church - thanks for the tour. I particularly like it when churches commemorate local characters, or tell local stories. They are often the keepers of much of the history of the village when you look closely or read the guides, aren't they?

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  3. I'm always drawn to churches that display their stonework on their inside walls. Ted Ball looks so like the farmworkers I've known.

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  4. The beautiful stained glass and the diffused light from them creates a nice atmosphere. The flower arrangements and Harvest Festival displays on the wide window sills are reminders of the season and church year. The Jacobean pulpit and other historical examples such as the Titanic memorial are special. Wishing you a good week Bill.

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  5. ...I love the interior of this one, someone is talented with floral arrangements. Thank Bill for sharing this beauty.

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  6. Hello Billy!
    Very interesting architecture of the church. Interesting interior and equipment. Great post and photos.
    Have a nice Sunday, Billy.

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  7. That bust seems unusual for a church. Thanks for the tour.

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  8. I like the little porch and the pulpit sure looks like alot of work has gone into it.

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