St Giles Bletchingdon

 

The Church Explorer starts the year off with two churches that I visited in December 2022. The first St Giles Bletchingdon I went along to after visiting St Giles in Hampton Gay. I had been told the church would be open but on arrival I found it locked. After trying to phone the churchwarden I could get no answer, later in the day I managed to talk to the churchwarden and found that the village had been in a power cut which lasted most of the day.  I do intend to return to visit soon, I will also be visiting new churches this year as well as returning to a few of the one I visited many years ago.The history is off Wikipedia

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Giles includes traces of Norman architecture. Its Early English Gothic chancel is slightly later, built in the 13th century. Charles Buckeridge designed the north aisle, which was probably added in 1869. The church was heavily restored to Buckeridge's designs in 1878. It is a Grade II* listed building. The west tower has a ring of six bells. Robert and William Cor of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast the tenor bell in 1710. Edward Hemins of Bicester cast the second bell in 1738. Matthew III Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire cast the fifth bell in 1774. James Barwell of Birmingham cast the third and fourth bells in 1877. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the treble bell in 1998. The church has a Sanctus bell, also cast by James Barwell in 1877. St Giles' is now part of the Benefice of Akeman, which includes the parishes of Chesterton, Hampton Gay, Kirtlington, Middleton Stoney, Wendlebury and Weston-on-the-Green."

 It was one of those cold winter mornings when I got to the gate looking over the churchyard

Churchyard covered in leaves

The south side of the church partly lost behind trees

The bell tower, the spire is where the staircase comes out to go on the roof

This would be the west entrance, I doubt it is ever opened

The north side, you can see the frost still on the roof

Looking from the north east

and the east end

The priest door leading to the chancel

which if you look on the doorpost you will see one of the best mass dials around, the other slightly worn

What I did not realise on my first visit was that there was a second mass dial to the photo top left this is thought to be Saxon reflecting the time keeping back then

The porch where the door was open but the one to the church locked

Above the door a sundial

the door to the church

lost of old headstones in the churchyard these to the north of the church

Nearer the boundary wall family graves

Family vault, the cross bar on the cross behind has come off as it is made of wood and the nails rotted

Some of the older headstones

Celtic cross

Over near the path by the west of the church

Nearby is a new churchyard with a arched entrance

all the graves here are more recent

There is one commonwealth war grave to Private R.E.Taylor

Looking back across the cemetery towards the gate

Hopefully by the time you read this I will have visited the church again and got some photos inside.

I managed to return for photo's inside this week so I will publish them next week

Till Next Time may I wish you all a peaceful weekend