St Mary Sydenham

 

 

 St Mary Sydenham was the last of the churches I visited in the Benefice of Chinnor. I had wondered if the church would be locked but as it was the place was open.

"By 1185–86 Sydenham was a chapelry of the prebendary parish of Thame. In the English Reformation in 1547 the Act for the Dissolution of Collegiate Churches and Chantries dissolved all prebendaries, and the tithes of Sydenham passed to the Wenman family. The earliest parts of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary are Norman corbels in the walls of the chancel. However, in 1293 it was reported that the church was "in ruins" and a rebuilding had just begun. This was carried out in the Early English Gothic style. The church retains most of the lancet windows inserted during the rebuilding. The timber-framed bell tower was built at the same time. It is one of a number of wooden bell-towers in South Oxfordshire. The others include St Helen's, Berrick Salome, All Saints, Didcot; St Nicolas, Rotherfield Greys and St Mary the Virgin, Waterperry.

Early in the 14th century a Decorated Gothic east window was inserted in the chancel and a rood screen and rood loft were added. Late in the 15th century the nave was given a hammerbeam roof. The rood screen and loft were removed in 1840. In the chancel is a set of Medieval corbels that formerly supported a Lenten veil to screen the altar. Such veils were discontinued in the English Reformation, and these corbels are a rare survival.

Sherwood and Pevsner state that the architect John Billing restored St Mary's in 1856, but the Victoria County History states that the restoration was in 1877. By both accounts the tower was rebuilt, the chancel and nave lengthened and a vestry and south porch added. the Victoria County History adds that the tower and its arches were moved some distance to the west. The two lancet windows west of the south porch were added during the restoration, and the 14th-century style west window of the nave was probably added at the same time. The church is a Grade II* listed building. Its parish is now part of a single benefice with the parishes of Aston Rowant, Chinnor and Crowell."

 The church over the roadside wall

 The sooth east view with wooden belltower

This is the north side of the church

 

East end

 

East end from across the churchyard

 

The west end is not so easy to get a photo of due to space

 

From the north west of the churchyard

 

North transept and belltower 

 

View up at the belltower, I have visited most of the churches that have wooden belltowers in Oxfordshire, they all differ in one way or another

Porch and belltower

 

Plenty of old graves in the churchyard this one gradually sinking

 

This one the face in it is worn making it look gruesome 

Looking east towards the road

Towards the north from the east end of the church

Looking west on the south side of the church

Not sure what happened here with this grave

This beautiful headstone is near the porch

The porch which was decorated out for a wedding

 

My son pointed out this interesting key hole

 

It looks like it is made from a clock face of some kind

The nave from the back of the church

The crossover towards the chancel

The altar and east window

The altar with cross, candle holders, bible and plate

Turning around and looking back with the choir stalls in the forrground

Looking back from inside the crossover arch

The pulpit which looks typical Victorian

Looking down from the pulpit

 

Near the arch on the north wall of the nave are memorials and the Roll of Honour 

 

Its a simple scroll

And lists the men of the parish who never returned

There are a couple of older memorials that look interesting

And even older corbels that are mentioned in the history

One of the windows is stained glass

The organ in the chancel

The font with wedding flowers on top

You can see this at the back of the church

The roof and hammer beams

The door with Victorian verse and one you will see in one of the lancet windows

Collage of memorials and windows

I thought this modern crucifix quite beautiful to look at

 

I will leave you with this collage of floral displays that were in the church, as you can Imagen that was a beautiful  smell from them.

Till next time I wish you all a wonderful weekend