St Michael Leafield

This was the last of the churches I managed to visit on this trip, I had hoped to get to one other at Ramsden but it had taken quite a while to get around the ones I had visited

" Leafield was a dependent chapelry of the ecclesiastical parish of Shipton-under-Wychwood until the 19th century. Leafield's Church of England parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, built in 1859 and consecrated in 1860. The bell tower was completed in 1874 and has a ring of six bells, all cast that year by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. St. Michael's is now a member of the Forest Edge Benefice."

From the road a nice lychgate to go through

Similar view to the fist one with my iphone

Getting a south view shot is not on and the best I could do was this one of the spire

Same around the north side

West end doorway

South east view with the spire

Porch with spire behind

Can't really get any more of a north side view than this

The church and churchyard form the path

Back to the boundary wall by the road

Headstones near the west end

This is a newer extension over to the south of the church

It is quite large

and the further east you find the most recent burials

From the extension you can see the church through the trees

Collage of graves and headstones

The porch on the south side

The nave as you come in

The nave with north and south aisles

Wider view of the church

The chancel and choir stalls

The altar with east window

The altar with cross and candle holders

Looking back through the arch

Typical Victorian banner though I have to admit this one is biggest I have seen

The organ with painted pipes

Pulpit

Most of the church can bee seen from it

The west end of the church with plain rose window

Lots of light let through with the upper windows

The east windows with rose window above

The east window shows scenes from the life of Jesus

The rose window I had trouble focusing on but shows God on his throne surrounded by angels and a dove

North aisle

South aisle with altar

The roll of honor is found on the south wall

Looking back to the west end of the south aisle

Collage of the roll of honor

The Font which is stood on pillars

Another view from the pulpit only going wide angle showing the whole of the nave and aisles

Looking down to the choir stalls and south aisle

I will leave you with this view of the church from the Preaching cross, the base is the original part the rest is Gothic Revival.

Till next time may I wish you all a wonderful week

St Mary Shipton Under Wychwood

 

 St Mary Shipton Under Wychwood was the third of the churches I intended to visit and though I thought it was one of the churches featured in the book Oxfordshires Best Churches it was only mentioned, it truth it is one that is worth visiting

"The Church of England parish church of St. Mary has a tower built in about 1200–1250, a 15th-century stone pulpit and font and a Tudor wall monument. The architect Richard Pace designed Saint Mary's Rectory, which was built in 1818.^"

 The south side of the church is more or less hidden by huge fir trees

West end with the spire

^{West end with both north and south aisles}

^{The west door between the buttresses}

^{The doorway that I am assuming is Norman from the carving}

^{North side looking west}

 Windows on the north aisle  along with the north door and a chest tomb

View of the church and spire across the churchyard

The churchyard north of the church has a few chest tombs scattered around

Along with some headstones that look to be dating back to the 1700's

Out the front on the south side of the church are a few more headstones

 

 

 Chest tomb and memorials you can find in the churchyard

 

The new churchyard is west of the church

Accessed from a footpath 

 

You can also find a bale tomb with some of the inscription still visiable
 

 

The bale tomb inscription

 

 

Commonwealth War Graves of Gardsman W.Pittaway, Officer Cadet J.F.Wright and Sargeant F.J.North

 

The porch with a notice informing you it is open.
 

 From the doorway looking towards the nave

 The Nave from near the back

The Chancel looking towards the altar which I forgot to get a photo of

The east window is quit magnificent

Looking back towards the west end

The pulpit and eagle lectern the pulpit it turns out is 15th century

The south aisle and nave from the pulpit

The window in the chancel with chair in front 

 

 

The stained glass window in the south wall of chancel

There are quite a few memorials to see in the church

A collage of memorials that have been put up on the north wall of the church

You can also see some older ones which are more elaborate

This is of the Stampe Family and shows Timothy and his wife, Timothy was buried at Shipton in 1615, James I was on the throne

Collage of memorials

The north aisle

Looking back to the west end of the north aisle

One of the tomb slabs in the church

Along with a tomb recess the head separated from the rest of the body

This is beside the south doorway

Read family Tombs with a plan of the coffins

The south aisle chapel with I think is the lady chapel

The altar with dove of peace on the cloth

Beautiful stained glass window of the lady chapel

A more modern stained glass window in the south wall

Collage of memorials and funerary hatchment

I did like the tapestry in the sitle of the Bayeux Tapestry

Roll of honor and memorials to  fallen parishioners

Reade family memorials there are more either side of the lady chapel window

Another rather nice stained glass window

This is a more modern one

I struggle at telling the age of some fonts that look like this, I had thought it Victorian

Till I looked closer at the carvings around the outside and found out it was 15th century

Church brasses mounted on the wall

This type I have come across a couple of times

In a niche in one of the pillars is this small statue of Madonna and Child.

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week