The Church Explorer: March 2025

This week the Church Explorer visits St Mary the Virgin Broughton, a church which is beside Broughton Castle. It is near Banbury so in the north of Oxfordshire. This time I had to arrange for the church to be open as it is in the castle grounds which were closed in the week. I parked opposite a footpath that took you to the church. It was open and a couple of ladies were cleaning the church, lucky I had finished by the time they were clearing up to go.

"The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin is in the grounds of Broughton Castle. The church was built about 1300 in a style that is transitional from Early English to Decorated Gothic. Clerestories were added to the south aisle late in the 14th century and to the nave in the 15th century. The church was restored in 1877–80 under the direction of George Gilbert Scott. It is a Grade I listed building. Broughton Rectory was rebuilt in 1694. It was altered three times in the 19th century: firstly by Richard Pace of Lechlade in 1808, and then with extensions by SP Cockerell in 1820 and HJ Underwood in 1842.

The church has 19th-century stained glass by Lavers and Westlake, Kempe, Clayton and Bell, Burlison and Grylls as well as some Munich glass"

The sun makes the stone work glow when you look a the south side

Another south view with my camera

The spire

From the east looking at the north side

Similar view showing the nave an spire

West door in the base of the tower

Close view of the arch showing the carvings on it

Porch and spire

The churchyard with Broughton castle just seen between the trees

Headstones at the east end of the south aisle

I noticed this marble tomb from the path it is right on the boundary near the stream

Looking over to the west end of the cemetery

Commonwealth war grave of Private G.Butler and some headstones and a tomb

After finishing in the church I left and was about to get in my car when I noticed a gate with a sign saying the path lead to a cemetery

This was at the top of a hill over looking Broughton church

Panoramic view of the cemetery

In the porch a doorway with striped stone

Inside the first view is down the south asile

The nave, the broom witness to what was going on in my visit

One of the few original stone rood screens you find

Collage of the screen carvings

The chancel which has a lot to see when you look around

Altar and east window plus reredos

The east window panels feature scenes from the life of |Jesus

Collage of the panels

Another view of the altar and east window

When I moved forward to get a photo or the reredos I did not expect to see a bier hiding there

Looking back to the organ

Which is tucked nicely in the arch of the tower

South wall of the chancel near the arch leading to the south aisle you find this tomb

With the 15th century effigies of Sir Thomas Wykham and his lady

These are what you see at their feet

This is the clearer of the wall paintings in the church showing the annunciation

The south wall you find this sedila and piscina

The pulipt

From which you see the nave

and also the south aisle

Going through the arch you will see this tomb

Elizabeth and William Fiennes Viscount Sayandseale

Below it you will find this stone coffin lid

The south aisle

I'm not sure who this tomb belonged to but it has a lot of items displayed it in now

Some of the things in the tomb on display, the death masks are from the tomb effigies

The tomb partly covers this one with an effigy on it. thought they were more important no doubt

The tomb effigy and surround were restored with the original colors in the 19th century. The effigy is of Sir William Broughton 1306

The south aisle also has a lot of funerary hatchment

So many that I did not try to take any photos of them

Looking through the arches to the nave

South aisle altar, the altar cloth takes your eye

There are also quite a few memorials to see in the church

The name on the memorial is quiet a mouthful

Another one of the Fiennes family memorials

This one shows how fragile life was then, one is to Richard Fiennes who live two days in 1658 and his brother James who lived two months and 3 days 1666