St James Cowley Pt2

 

This week we are staying in Oxfordshire rather than going back to the last four churches in Wiltshire that I visited. I am featuring a return to St James in Cowley as I managed to see inside and thought it should be shown sooner than later.

A reminder how the church looked

 

The porch which shows the gate locked, it was this time but I did hear voices inside

 

The door frame and door inside the porch, at some time some one added graffiti over the arch

Going around the north side I found a door ajar and went in seeing this view of the church

And this is how the nave looks towards the chancel

Panoramic shot taking in the north aisle

 

Chancel arch going in the chancel

 

Either side of the arch are these carved pillars which are painted, how original it is I could not tell you

You can see this painting in the nave and a wall painting from 1300 thought to be Lady Edith D'Oilly donating St James to Our Lady Of Osney. It was thought to be positioned in the chancel. It is a reproduction of a composition made many years ago from the remains of the original wall plaster lying in waste

That looks like this inside, the little tent part of the children's activity that is going on at the present time

 

The altar with a rather nice back to it

The altar with simple wooden cross and candle holders

The altar cross

 

 A closer view of the altar cross and screen

Rather nice east window

View back though the chancel arch to the nave

Few of the banners in the chancel

 

 This looks through to the north aisle and the chapel at the east end

The pulpit which is painted white like the rest of the church

View of the church from the pulpit

And another view from the aisle. The lady's at the back are making the flower arrangements for the church and even made me a cup of tea when I finished.

 

 

This is the organ you can see at the back of the church, very impressive looking and hides a WC under and behind it accessed via a door over to the right 

In the chancel you can also see this window, the lower part may well have been a squint

 

 

The north aisle

 

Rood screen in the front of the chapel. Behind the wreath is a Roll of Honour

 

St Luke's Chapel

 

A rather nice dressed altar in pride of place 

 

On the north wall of the aisle you will find a number of memorials to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and a couple of older rolls of honour for earlier conflicts. Just like the Royal Berkshire Regiment the lists are long 

This is their coat of arms

Either side of which you will find this dedication written in French and English, from what I was told it used to be over in France but needed restoration which it was and then placed in St James Church which is not far from where the regiment had its HQ

The only other stained glass window in the church

Nice memorial to Colonel Walter James Lindsay

An altar cross, candle holders and incense burner on a side table

The knight was near the entrance Nights Templar perhaps, Temple Cowley got its name from them. Right St Winifred

When I spotted this I thought the ladies had made a nice display but it turned out they were artificial

Guitar on an old church chest and a holy water stoup

The font, the bowl itself looks as though it could be from the dark ages but the base is modern

This could be St James I noticed on the window sill with flowers adorning it

I will leave you with this shot of  cross which is one of the more unusual ones I have come across

Till next time I wish you all a peaceful weekend