St Giles Oxford

 

This week The Church Explorer is back in Oxford to visit  more from the book Oxfordshires Best Churches.The first church I visited which I might add is not in the book. St Giles Oxford which sits between the Woodstock road and Banbury road at the end of St Giles wide boulevard. For some more detail on the church read the Wickpeda link on St Giles

The war memorial in St Giles the Woodstock road is to the left and the Banbury road on the right. St Giles church is behind the trees you see in the middle

The main entrance to the churchyard and St Giles looking towards the church

From the Woodstock road side

East end from the Banbury road

Banbury road entrance on the south side

South entrance porch which was locked

Another south side view from the path

North side from near the Woodstock road. I went in the doorway you see open only to find a lecture going on, as there were a lot of people inside I decided to come back later and went around the churchyard

St Giles is one of the few churches in the city that does have a churchyard with headstones

How this one stays up I do not know and it is a wonder no one has laid down down for H&S reasons

There are a few seats scattered around and I saw people on them

Sunken headstones and tomb

Someone wanted to be remember with this monument though I dare say if any relatives are around now have forgotten them 

Looking at the tomb chest here I would say it is around 3-400 years old

It's quite a large churchyard which I suspect from some debris I see behind the headstones has a few rough sleepers in it at night

North of the church a few tombs

Looking north across the south side of the church from the road 

The church was free of people after I visited St Barnabas so I took the opportunity to get some photos. This is inside the south porch which I showed locked in an earlier photo I took it as I was leaving

Above the doorway a memorial

The iron work on the hinges was interesting to look at 

View from the south doorway

Taking in a wider view showing more of the church

The main aisle looking down the nave, the screen was used in the lecture I came in on. I did feel it could have been put away, but then there may have been another lecture later.

North aisle 

The south aisle 

Inside the chancel which is hidden by the screen

The east window which I think was quiet beautiful

There are a lot of memorials to loo at around the church

The statues here on display must have come from either a tomb or a memorial you see on the wall 

Lancet window onto the south chapel 

 

Arch leading to the south aisle 

 

North aisle looking to the chapel 

South aisle chapel 

I assume it is the lady chapel with the icon on the altar 

The stained glass window is nice though

 

The roll of honor for St Giles

The pulpit

Looking down form it to the nave

 The font I fount out is a 13th-century square font with angle colonnetts supported on five pillars I must admit I came away felling a little disappointing in my visit which could be down to walking around and St Giles being the last one on my visit. Saying that if it is open then have a look around

Till Next Time May I wish you all A peaceful weekend 

St Bilo Llanfilo

  

This week the Church Explorer is back in Wales at St Bilo Llanfilo which I noticed in the distance as we drove past. It's about half an hour from were we stay in our caravan. After checking it out and seeing the inside it was a must for me to visit. Rather than cut and past the history there is a Wiki link above will tell you more 

The church as you come through the lychgate

The lychgate which has some history to it as well being built between 1680 &1700

 Plaque commemorating the lost form WWI 

Looking from the south west

The bell tower 

North west side

Blocked north door, beside an outcrop on the church you will see why inside

 

 

The lintel is of Norman origin around 11th or 12th century

 

South side chancel end with priest door 

East end with old memorials on the outside

The churchyard from the path looking west

 

Looking back to the lychgate 

South view

Tomb and headstones, the tomb is unusual in that it has a cross on it

Obelisk monument

Looking across the churchyard past the lychgate

Taller obelisk monument

There are a lot of memorials on the church exterior 

Some words are eroded these ones still readable 

South side view

East end of the church some headstones defy gravity 

collage of the churchyard

In the porch and the entrance

Top carved stone on the east wall and what look like pilgrim marks on the door pillar

First view in the church

Looking down the nave and the reason I came to the church

When I spotted the screen I had to come and visit

It was not the only thing I spotted when I look on line, I could see it was a rood loft

Inside the chancel

Near the altar rails 

Altar rails and altar

Nothing elaborate about the altar just a simple table

Altar cross in front of the east window

Back of the rood screen

 

 

 Looking down the nave from the screen

Lectern and monks chair table, if you look at the pew on the left you can see 16 on it I missed seeing this as it reads 1630

Pulpit dates from 1685

The lectern on the pulpit has a dedication like the lectern by the desk

 

View from the pulpit

The rood loft

It is medieval and beautifully carved 

One the wall behind the loft is the rood

I have to assume it is of the same age as the loft

The center figure in the loft is the Virgin Mary and child

Along ether side of the Virgin Mary are other saints 

The underneath of the roodloft 

Which is also richly decorated with carved bosses

Some of the carved bosses

 

Through the screen

Carvings on the rood screen, I looked for the dragon

 The Angelus bell which is thought to be the oldest in the county cast in Worcester in 1410 

Bible box on legs

Priests chair

Church chest

Can't find anything on this tomb in the chancel

I do like the face the old pews are still in place though I did miss the fact on the opposite side are six Jacobean pews with a date of 1630 carved on them

Carving on the lectern

The door takes you to the rood stairs which is the outcrop you saw on the outside of the church

The door is carved with the men who served in both wars, the top has the names in gold lettering listing the men who died in WWI

The memorial was not what I took the photo is was the carved wood under it which looks old

There are a lot of memorials on the walls of the church 

Some of them clearer than others

The memorial is to John and Magdalene Williams 

I liked how simple it looked

It would take a while to look around all the memorials in the church

Most are around the 17-1800s but one is dated 1642

The altar and east window with memorials either side

Arch leading to the tower base, the ladder takes you to the bell loft

The organ looks out of place being quite modern compared to the rest of the church

This is a school room tortoise stove

It's in Welsh if you can read it

The font which I think is superb believed to be Celtic dated around 900-1000AD

The beautiful floral display on the font

I read what it says on the chair and it is to commemorate the life of Kirsty Jones

A simple verse fading of a wall plaque

I will leave you with is photo of a vase of Sunflowers which is a fitting tribute to the lady who's commemorative chair is nearby as she loved sunflowers.

As a passing note 40 years ago Live Aid was on in Wembley and  Philadelphia. I spent all day watching, it's being shown on BBC tonight but did it change anything, it does not seem so

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week