St Mary Weston on the Green

 

I had not planed on visiting this church just yet but I had the opportunity when I had to take my son to the JR for his appointment there. I felt I could visit the church and get back in time to pick him up, as it was I could have fitted in a second but has something to eat and drink outside the church instead. I will be visiting the next church another time. There is long history about the church on Wikipedia

"The earliest surviving parts of the Church of England parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary are the Norman font and the ground stage of the west tower, which was built around 1200. By 1741 the medieval building was in ruins, and in 1743–44 all but the 13th century bell tower was rebuilt.

The replacement is a characteristically box-like Georgian church, with what were originally plain round-arched windows on the north and south sides. The Georgian building had an ornate plaster ceiling, but this collapsed in 1810. The surviving ornate Georgian surroundings of the south door are of a very high quality.

There is no east window. Instead the blank east wall is dominated by an altarpiece of the Ten Commandments thought to have been painted by the Italian master Pompeo Batoni (1708–87), although this has not been substantiated. Weston-on-the-Green is not the only Oxfordshire parish church thought to have a painting by Batoni. The parish church of Saint Peter, Marsh Baldon, 12 miles (19 km) south of Weston-on-the-Green, has a Batoni painting of the Annunciation.

The architect R. Phené Spiers restored the building in the 1870s, repairing the tower and adding the south porch and new seating. A plan to rebuild the east end with an apse "to make the building more churchlike" was not executed. In 1885 Spiers added a heavy tracery to the Georgian windows and the organ was installed.

The tower used to have three bells, one each cast in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. They were replaced in 1870 with ring of five, now six, all of which were cast by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. There is also a Sanctus bell cast in 1834 by W&J Taylor, presumably at their Oxford foundry.

The ecclesiastical parish is now a member of the Church of England Benefice of Akeman, which includes the parishes of Bletchingdon, Chesterton, Hampton Gay, Kirtlington, Middleton Stoney and Wendlebury.

Alan Campbell Johnson, who was Press Attaché to Earl Mountbatten of Burma when he was Viceroy of India and author of Mission with Mountbatten, is buried here.^"

 

 South side of St Mary's Church

 

The entrance from a parking area near the village hall

I had put a filter on my lens to lessen the glare from the sun hence the darker areas in some of the photos

North east end

 

North west looking at the tower

 

East end, not many churches you come across have no east window

Porch leading to the church

Sundial dated 1738

From the entrance the churchyard east of the church

East churchyard which have a few graves in it some may not have had headstones others they have sunk of fallen over and been lost

A few more to be see on the north side of the churchyard

Most here forgotten about

There are four commonwealth war graves in the churchyard

Looking west from the east end of the churchyard

Some of the graves and headstones

There are some quite old headstones to be found

Lots of forgotten graves

Couple of interesting old ones

Inside the porch which looks like it was added a longtime after the doorway was

The doorway is Georgian, the two stones either side in the porch look it too and may have come off a tomb 

Inside the church as you come through the door

It does look typical of a Georgian church

Towards the altar

The altar and the mural behind

Closer view of the painting and top of the altar

The mural by the Italian master Pompeo Batoni with the ten commandments

Looking back from the altar rails

The pulpit

Wrought iron cross beside the altar

Good view of the church from it, you can imagine a 17th century rector breathing fire and brimstone from it

Even the Roll of Honor is beautifully presented

Items to see in the  church

Three of the windows on the south side

This lancet is the only full stained glass one

Looking over to the north side windows

some of the brass memorials

They are not short of organs, the original one an harmonium and an electric organ

Camino de Santiago looks like some one went on a pilgrimage 

I've see a few of these in churches now
 

The Norman font, about the only original part of the church

Some of the kneelers you find on the back of the pews

Beautiful floral display

I will leave you with a view of the church from the lectern 

Till next time I wish you all a peaceful weekend

St Nicholas & St Swithun Yelford

 

This was the church I had meant to visit after  visiting Stanlake but I spent longer there than I expected so left the visit fro another time. As it was I made  second visit to Stanlake for more photos of the inside. Yelford is a very small village along narrow roads and you park opposite the front gates of some ones property and walk down a track that is almost hidden from view beside the entrance to the property

"The small Church of England parish church of Saint Nicholas and Saint Swithun may have been founded as a chapel by 1221, when Philip of Hastings was recorded as patron of the living. It was completely rebuilt in about 1500. It was restored at some time between 1869 and 1873, which may be when the bellcote was added"

 After walking down the path you come to the church 

Porch leading to the church

Left what looks to me like the stump of a preaching cross, right this came off the church roof

On the porch you can see this interesting looking carving

If you rotate the photo it makes a little more sense. I'm told it is a window head carving from the 11th or 12th century. It could have come from Eynsham Abbey during the dissolution and the porch was built 

Graffiti LT 1817 who ever that was

More graffiti which has even older dates on

Porch and main door in to the church

It was very light in the church so no need to turn the lights on

The church looking from the back

Rood screen which is 15th century

The chancel with choir stalls either side

Altar and east window

The well  dressed altar

Looking back to the rood screen

No doubt these were added in Victorian times and have weathered the days, they are in better condition than others I have seen, the plinths probably held a statue of a saint at one time

Nice floral display in a brown jug

The font which looks like it is as old as the church, the organ and pulpit  on the other hand much more recent

The preacher can really see all his parishioners from here

 

I noticed this quilting hanging over a pew so laid it out on the table nearby. Some one put a lot of work into making it, seems a pity for it not to be seen.

Till Next time May I wish you all a wonderful weekend