St Mary Ardley

 

I used to drive past Ardley on my way to Silverstone back in the 1970's all I knew was the name Ardley Quarry which is not far way. The church was just up the road from where I had been last week. My first look at the church was there was a Georgian look about it with the big window, disappointment soon followed when I found access to the church denied as it was locked.

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary dates from at least 1074. The original church was demolished and completely rebuilt, but both the chancel and the bell tower of the present building contain small amounts of re-used Norman stonework. The present Early English Gothic chancel was built late in the 12th or early in the 13th century. The tower has a saddleback roof and may have been built in the 13th or 14th century. The present nave was built in 1793 and has a west gallery that was added in 1834.

St Mary's is now part of the Benefice of Cherwell Valley, along with the parishes of Fritwell, Lower Heyford, Somerton, Souldern and Upper Heyford.

The canal engineer Samuel Simcock (1727–1804) and his wife Esther (1720–1808), a sister of James Brindley, are buried at St Mary's."

 

North side of the church from the east end
 

 

South side form the east end

 

East end

 

The saddle back belltower which is unusual though I admit I have come across a few now in Oxfordshire

 

North view of the nave and tower

^{West end and entrance showing the tower}

^{Priest door in the south side}

 

  

 ^{North side view showing the whole church}

^{The churchyard looking was as you walk up the path}

^{Around the north side the churchyard is large but as the grass was wet I did not venture far to look around}

^{The tomb looks in good condition but the rest of the graves are in a state}

^{Zooming in further down the churchyard}

^{Crosses and headstones}

Like most churchyards the headstones are at different angles and you wonder how long before they fall

Collage of the churchyard. A disappointing visit. I did look through the windows ans saw the pews were gone and there was a narrow chancel arch as there were no contact details for a churchwarden I left and went onto Middleton Stoney, where there was more disappointment due to the church being on a private estate and the gates shut. Not knowing how to gain entry I left. The good news is as I write this I did get in and will be publishing the blog in a few weeks. I'm not sure if I will return to Ardley

Till next time I wish you all a peaceful week