St Stephen Clanfield

 

I took the wrong road visiting St Stephen Clanfield parking along a private road by the old entrance to the church and came in what looked like the back entrance, you can read some history on the church below the photo.

"In the Church of England parish church of Saint Stephen the tympanum over the south door is Norman and both the arcade between the nave and the north aisle and the responds of the chancel arch are in the Transitional style between Norman and the Early English Gothic. These features date the church building to about 1200. St Stephen's has four lancet windows dating from late in the 12th century or early in the 13th century: two in the south wall of the chancel and two in the north wall of a chapel on the north side of the chancel. In the chancel the east window and the easternmost window in the south wall are Decorated Gothic, which dates them to between 1250 and 1350. The style of the bell tower suggests it was built either about 1300 or early in the 14th century.

In the 15th century a large statue of St Stephen was added to the outside of the tower, a squint was inserted in the south side of the chancel and the present font was made. The nave was rebuilt in 1869 and the chancel enlarged and partly rebuilt in 1870. The tower has a ring of eight bells. James Keene, who had established a bell-foundry at Woodstock, cast the fourth, fifth and seventh bells in 1653. Michael Darbie, who was an itinerant bell-founder in southeast England, cast the tenor bell in 1667. Richard Keene of Woodstock cast the sixth bell in 1696. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the treble, second and third bells in 1905 to complete the current ring. St Stephen's parish is part of the Benefice of Bampton with Clanfield, which also includes the parishes of Aston, Lew and Shifford."

 East end of the church with north aisle

Looking from the south east

The entrance path from the graveyard and where I should have parked

The tower with statue of St Stephen

West end showing the bell tower

North side showing the north aisle and chapel

South side showing the porch and tower

Closer view of the Medieval statue of St Stephen

Looking across the churchyard from the path I came in on

Looking east over the churchyard

Churchyard south of the church

South west churchyard boundary

Chest tomb on the north side of the church

Collage of the churchyard

Commonwealth war grave of Private J Monk

Headstone on the north side of the church looking west

I liked the carving on this one on the north side

Old headstone around late 1600 early 1700

Porch beckoning me in

Norman arch with typanum

Which once had a sundial

The scratch marks still evident

Inside looking down the nave

Chancel arch looking in the chancel

Zooming into the east window

The chancel fills out past the arch

Altar and reredos

Closer view of the reredos

looking back through the arch to the nave

Some of the brass memorials in the church

Huge squint which was from the chapel but now from what I can see is a vestry

The orgah takes up the other part of the chapel

Choir stalls

Couple of headstones and memorials you can see in the church

Victorian pulpit

View down to the nave

Eagle lectern

Children's area at the back of the north aisle

North aisle which take you to the chapel now partitioned off for the organ

The village roll of honor

The poppy is hand knitted

The nave from the north aisle

15th century font

I will take my leave of you with this photo of a floral display from the chancel

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week