Holy Cross Shipton-on-Cherwell

 

 It's funny how you come cross a place, going to this church came out of reading a detective story based around Kidlington. The detective lived on a narrow Boat at Thrupp which is a couple of miles away. I happened to look on the map for the village and noticed a couple of churches nearby so while my son was off having treatment at the JR I drove off to visit a Church, in fact two. Some history of Wikipedeia

"Shipton had a parish church by the latter part of the 12th century, which seems to have been enlarged in the 13th century and received new windows in the 14th century. It was demolished in 1831 and replaced by a new Georgian Gothic Revival Church of England parish church designed by the artist William Turner who lived at the manor house. Some original materials from the original church were re-used. Crossley and Elrington state that this includes the north porch, which Sherwood and Pevsner had earlier dismissed as "free and flimsy Georgian Gothick". Holy Cross was restored in 1869 under the direction of the Gothic Revival architect Charles Buckeridge.

The belltower has only two bells. They were cast in the middle of the 16th century and presumably came from the original church. The original dedication of the 12th-century church was to the Holy Cross. By 1786 the dedication had been changed to Saint Mary, and by 1851 it had been changed to Saint Jerome. By 1892 the church was finally restored to its original dedication of Holy Cross. The parish is now part of the Benefice of Blenheim, which also includes Begbroke, Bladon, Woodstock and Yarnton.^"

 

 The Holy Cross church from near the entrance to the churchyard, the sun was still rising 

The sun reflecting off the headstones

Looking down at the north west of the church

The porch to the church

 

 

 View of the north side

You cannot get a view of the south side very easy so this was the best |I could do

On your way in the churchyard on your left is this cross

Further along headstone many of which are more recent

Looking south along the west end of the churchyard

More headstones of varying age

Looking towards the avenue of trees that line the path in

The headstone of this lady stood out from the rest

Looking west along the north side

By the time I took this photo I had been across the field nearby to another church. The door here was still shut but I found where the key holder was and went to see them

Carvings around the porch with headstops either end

 

The door inside the porch leading in

The nave looking to the chancel. This was the only photo I took with my DSLM, I had a problem with it after that so used my iphone fro the rest

 

 

Further back with the iphone

 

 Chancel arch and rood screen

 

Rood screen
 

 Altar and east window

 

 

Pano shot of the altar in the chancel

 Closer view of the altar and east window

 

The east window which is cropped from the original photo

Nicely dressed altar and cross

View looking back though the rood screen

 The nave from in front of the rood screen

 

Either side of the chancel arch and screen ad the desk and pulpit

 

 

In the pulpit showing the nave

 

And what I have not done in a while taking a pano of the nave

 

 

The Roll of Honour a simple one that stands out in the church

There are a few tombs in the floor of varying states, this one you walk across coming in the door

One of the ones in better condition

 

 

The memorials are worth a look at the one in the lower right dated 1613
 

Not often you come across a stone coffin especially a child's one like this

 

There are quite a few memorials on the windows as well

The stained glass above them very beautiful

The organ can be seen in the chancel

The corbels around the church have dates and shields on them

 

I'm not sure if they are all to the rectors like this one is

The only choir stall the organ taking over where the second would have been

 

The font which I cannot tell you the age of

Barley Sheaves for the harvest time

I will leave you with the Flower arrangement

Till next time Have a great Weekend