Saturday, 6 September 2025

St Peter & St Paul Wantage

 

 This week the Church Explorer revisits St Peter & St Paul Wantage where I have been to a could of times but felt the  photos were not quite up to what I take now, the problem is the church is dark inside so you need a camera that is capable of taking photos in low light or as I did then use a tripod. Most of the time now I use an iphone 14 pro which copes very well. There is a little history below but click on the link to read a longer history. This is a coffee and cake read, it's long

 Wantage has been the site of a church since at least the 10th century and the present Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul dates from the 13th century, with many additions since. Saints' Peter and Paul contains seventeen 15th-century misericords.

 
From over by the footpath from Church Street the war memorial
 

Took the next photos with my camera which I found after I had the settings wrong making the photos darker. It did not help being a bit overcast that day

The east window from the market place road

North east of the church

Around the north side

Wider view of the north side

This is the west end of the church

Longer south west view, the porch is on the end here and has a room over the top, when you visit during the ween the door in the south transept is open from 10-12


Churchyard looking east to the market place

Headstones around the north side of the church

 
Churchyard north of the church
 
 
Tomb chest with eroded carving on the end
 
 
This is looking south across from the east end of the churchyard
 

Wide view of the nave and aisles from the back

 
Normal view

This is in the crossover of the tower 

Chancel

Nearer to the altar

The altar and east window

The stained glass looks amazing, the photo does not do it justice

Altar and reredos

Closer view of the reredos

Looking back through the chancel

Crossover looking out 

One of my favorite photos showing the crossover and the north and south aisles

Looking out the crossover arch to the nave

South transept

North transept

The pulpit, I should have moved the candle out of the way

View out of the pulpit


North transept stained glass

South transept stained glass

Screen over the chapel of the south transept

The wood carving up there looked interesting

The ceilings in the chapels

East chapel

South chapel

South chapel window

East chapel window


I think this one is on the chacel


collage of memorials and banner 


The tomb is in the south chapel I went in

The 15th-century misericords


I recognised what they were but forgot to look closer

Carvings on the entrance to one lot

Poppyhead on the 15th-century misericords. Hard to get it in your head that this was carved by a craftsman back in the 1400's 

Beautiful you have to admit

One of the people looking after the church showed me the seat lifted (I forgot that bit about them) showing me the carvings underneath

Tomb effigy, shame the whole arch is missing

Sir William Fitzwaryn I cannot find out much at he moment but I think he was one of the marcher lords

Piece of history on him

He is covered in graffiti 

This memorial also in the chancel really stood out

William the son along with William and Mary his parents

Carved eagle lectern

In the church there is some beautiful stained glass

Walk around the aisles and you can look at them as you walk around

They show saints 

And have plaques dedicated to people under them

Some have scenes from the life of  Jesus

Even looking up at the windows around by the roof of the nave are more windows with stained glass

These memorials are almost hidden in the north transept

Looking west up the north aisle 

A children's area and I missed getting a photo of the priest

At the west end of the north aisle is the Roll of Honlour

Closer view of the Roll

The crucifixion scene at the top of the Roll of Honlour 

East down the north aisle

Collage of the church brasses you can see

The font and cover

Above the counterbalance weights 

The font cover looks like it took some making

The base of the font looks older than the top

Memorial to Stamp family

Another Stamp family memorial

Brass chandelier 

Look up and around the church are faces on the corbels

More carved on the ends of the hammer beams

The south aisle

The brass must have come of a tomb and shows the guy had two wife's between them they had five children. No doubt one of the wife's died, it's not east to read what is written

 
It does not help when it is in Latin either
 

I will leave you with this view from the Bible

Till Next Time have a peaceful week 

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