Saturday 28 August 2021

Return to St Nicholas Ickford

 

The next couple of churches will be return visits which also may be the case with a few more as I try to get photos of the inside of churches that I visited in lockdown.   I first visited St Nicholas Ickford a year ago to see if I could get a photo inside of a memorial unfortunately for me it was locked and I did not get a chance to revisit till April this year when were were emerging for lockdown. I did not expect to go inside but wanted to record the church and churchyard. Finally in August I went back to get photos inside the church. A recap of some of the history:-

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Nicholas dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. The nave was built in about AD 1210, with a porch in the middle of the south side. Relatively narrow three-bay north and south aisles were added in about 1230, with the south aisle absorbing the original porch and taking the porch's south wall for the limit of its width. The north aisle has one Norman and Early English Gothic 13th-century lancet windows, one of which has a later rere-arch with cusped spandrels, each with a carved rosette.

The chancel has two 13th-century lancet windows in its north wall. Near the westerly of these windows is a rectangular recess that may have been a squint. In its south wall are another lancet window and a 13th-century doorway. The Decorated Gothic east window is 14th-century and has reticulated tracery with ogees. The south wall of the chancel has at its east end a window from about 1350 that is said to have been brought from elsewhere, and towards the west end a 15th-century window with a depressed head. Some of the stained glass windows are 20th-century work by Ninian Comper.

The bell tower is substantially Norman but the upper stages were remodelled in the 14th century. The tower has a saddleback roof.

In the nave some of the seats are 16th-century and there is a west gallery fronted with 17th-century panelling. The pulpit and its tester are also 17th-century."

Before you read on I will warn you there is a lot of detail in this weeks blog so I'd advise a coffee & cake  

 
Looking down the path to the church from by the gate
 
 
Inside the porch to a welcome
 

The joists above looked interesting
 
 
The carving in the centrer looks worn
 
 
One side of the original doorway 

 
Walking in the door you look across to the North aisle

 
To your left you will see the font
 
 
To your right you look down the narrow south aisle
 

Look across to the chancel arch

 
Walking over to the centre of the nave you view the chancel arch and chancel

 
Turning around you see a loft space with a royal coat of arms 

Into the chancel


The altar behind the rails

 
The chancel window at the east end of the church

 
The altar cross and candle holders simple

The altar cross


from behind the altar you look right down the chancel and nave

 
This I presume sounding board hangs from the roof above the altar

 
This is what I came to see in the church the memorial to Thomas Tipping and his wife. Thomas Tippings wife Margaret who is the daughter of John Latton from Blewbury

 
The inscription on the memorial
 
 
Crest of arms above
 

Found this pillar interesting in that it looked like the original paint was on it

 
Thomas & Margaret had four sons

 
and five daughters. I think the letters above the figures are the initials of their names

 
The pulpit with the sounding board above

 
Giving a good view of the Nave

 
Or even the south & north aisles as well

 
The north aisle

 
With the old font cover

 
The south aisle houses the Lady chapel 

 
Models of houses sit on the top of the altar with the church in the centre


Above the altar a beautiful roll of honour on display

 
A rood on top of the joist by the chancel arch


This may have been the counterbalance for the old font cover 

 
Memorial to William May Ellis

 
More elaborate on to Lye Thomas & his wife Mary

 
Not so easy to rad this one

 
Commemorative plaque

 
Not sure what this in is for, there seems to be different names in Latin but seems to be a memorial

 
The roll of honour for the village


The fallen with RIP against their names


A few of the memorial stones in the aisles

 
This one to Edmund Lawrence the oldest

 
There are some beautiful stained glass windows

 
This window a memorial to Edward Vernon Staley


Tow of the lancet windows on the north side of the church

 
This on given in thanks for the ending of WWII

 
At the west end of the south aisle two more unusual windows

 
This lancet with a jug on the sill

 
and a circular one above

 
Sun reflection through the window

 
The coat of arms on it belonging to Canterbury & Lincoln

 
The arches on the north side of the nave

 
both have beak heads on them

 The pillar of the chancel arch on the south side

A mouse guards some ones sunglasses 
 
 
In this niche a tree of life 

 
Candelabra in a window

 
Clark's chair & desk

 
Statue of the Virgin Mary in what may have been a squint

 
Madonna & child in the lady chapel 

I loved this one in a wooden case


A beautiful Candelabra along with candles 

 
Last look along the nave

 
I will leave you this week with this shot of a church mouse.
Till next time I wish you all a peaceful weekend.
Remember Don Everly of the Everly Brothers and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones who gave my generation a lot of pleasure with their music. I had the pleasure of seeing the Stones live twice
RIP