This week the Church Explorer visits St Philip Little Rollright on my visit to the last of the three churches in this area in the Book Oxfordshires Best Churches. First thing I noticed was the church is not that big nor is the churchyard also there was no lighting in the church but none of that detracted from it being a interesting one to visit
"The earliest parts of the Church of England parish church of Saint Philip are 13th-century, and include the chancel arch and buttresses. The present south windows of the chancel were inserted in the 15th century. The nave was rebuilt in the 16th century. The tower was built or rebuilt in 1617. The south porch and doorway, and a five-light window on the south side of the nave may be of the same date. Inside the church are two 17th-century monuments to members of the Dixon family. The church is a Grade II* listed building. St Philip's is part of the parish of Little Compton, Chastleton, Cornwell, Little Rollright and Salford. The parish is part of the Chipping Norton benefice, along with the parishes of Chipping Norton with Over Norton, Churchill and Kingham."
North west view of the tower
North side view of the church, notice there are no windows this side, not something I come across much
I took this one and the last as I was leaving
As I noticed this coat of arms on the tower wall
The churchyard is not large
one thing I noticed was this stump of what might have been a preaching cross? who knows
Headstone ages vary
Tree grow among the headstones
Though you will see the odd more recent burial here
Fenced plot near the porch which is the only photo I took of it
Inside the porch
Where you can see some graffiti
Like I said there was no lighting in the church
Although taking a similar photo with my iPhone shows it different
Inside the chancel
Wider view with my camera
The altar and east window
View of the back of the chancel arch, |I seem to have neglected doing the same from the other side
Nave looking to the west end
Prayer desk and lectern
The stone pulpit looks like it replaced a wooden one that was here
The view would have been similar anyway
Only lighting I can see is the candelabra also I notice some remnants of wall art on the wall behind
Two monumental tombs dominate the chancel
This is the Dixon Memorial
In it you can see tow female and one male figure
The inscription on the memorial shows that it is dedicated to Cecil Dixon
The center one is Edward Dixon which of the two females in Cecil is your guess but one could also be his daughter, they also had a son but he is not there
The second monument is no less magnificent to look at
Showing a single knight in repose on his helmet
The inscription has long gone to show who it is, the son of Edward Dixon?
The inscription is no where to be seen but the carvings around survive, even the color
On the top is this colorful coat of arms
The tracery on the east window
The carved top of the recess by the window
One of the south windows
The other in the chancel
With a single candle holder
The church pews
small organ in the chancel
At the back is the font
Till next time
May I wish you all a peaceful week
9 comments:
I loved the simplicity of this church, but wondered if the lack of lighting meant it's not a church in regular use, Billy. Maybe you could answer this one? Blessings!
There is no electricity, they still use candles, it is used every month for a service and from what I saw kept clean
An interesting church and the monuments are superb. I like that area a lot - I've been to the church at Long Compton and also the Rollright Stones.
Looks like I was nearly out of the county. Long Compton was only a few miles away
the age of these churches is amazing. We have nothing this age in Australia. I enjoy exploring old churches. Thankyou. Have a wonderful week. I am joining you at Mosaic Monday.
Interesting old church! Thanks for sharing.
Think of all the prayers that have risen from these pews.
Thanks so much for joining us this week at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2025/06/and-now-meet-tommy.html.
Wow... what a great building.
Ooops, today I'm later than usual with the comments. But yesterday's storm left its mark on the garden... we've been busy.
It's a great pleasure to visit you again, dear blog friend.
Happy MosaicMonday!
...thank you for your contribution to the link party, it was a pleasure to read your post.
Have a nice week.
I like the simple details of this church, Thanks for sharing and for taking part in #MySundaySnapshot.
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