This week the Church Explorer visits the former St Peter in the East now St Edmunds Hall Library the final church I needed to visit in the book Oxfordshires Best Churches. There is some history to read about the church in the link but to give you some info the church dates back to the 12th century and due to a decline in the congregation closed in 1965, it was deconsecrated in 1970's and repurposed for it's present use. I purchased a Pevsner on Oxordshire and noticed the crypt from St Peter in it so asked about when I was there. As it was an open even they did not open the crypt but gave me their email address to get in touch and arrange a visit which is what I did hence a second visit. I'm afraid I set my copy of Pevsner back as I did not like the format and the fat it was not all of Oxfordshire in the book.
The church from Queen street
Through the old pedestrian gate of the church now locked
The path to the church now from the collage
With a set of old headstone steps to climb
St Edmund sat on his bench reading
From St Edmund to the church
St Edmund
This was taken as I left the church
East end of the church
From over the churchyard
Couple of the headstones in the old churchyard
There are still quite a few headstones if you look around
Along with tombs in the shrubbery
Path takes you back to the collage
North side of the old church
And the tower which is worth going in if you get a chance
Wide shot of the north side
The east end of the church with north aisle
North aisle from the outside
Back around the south
This is on the second visit which I was going as you can see the library is shut
Freeze around the outside, the heads look like that have been replaced
No doubt they are replicas of the originals
They look in too good condition
But they are amusing none the less
Porch that would have had a priest room over it
Inside is another superb Norman doorway
With beakheads around it
I never tire seeing doorways like this
Inside from the door which I took on my second visit you can just make out some students working
Looking down to the chancel end of the church
This looks back through nave to the west end from the chancel end
The east window, the altar was removed during the updated to a library
Chancel ceiling
Looking down to the nave ceiling
There is some beautiful stained glass to see, like this one in the south wall of the chancel
Two single windows with memorials between them
Collage of the windows, the single one have Norman stone work on them
Book case hides part of this one
Over the entrance door is these bequests
All around the church are memorials
Ben Cutler his and son, Ben was a butler. He must have been well thought of to have this memorial
Every where you look are memorials
This one took my eye, it is to Simon Parret and his wife Elizabeth. Behind them are twenty kids, they were some busy little bees. Makes me wonder if he ever went to work
Another nice memorial to I think Petri Eliot MD
Nice black one, Makes me wish they taught Latin at the school I went to when I see memorials written in it
This one pokes up above some books, I'm not sure they would have been impressed if I moved a few to see what the rest of the memorial said
Sad memorial this one
More interesting memorials
This one I really do not have a clue with
This is new to me, I never knew the first English aeronaut was James Sadler and he made his flight from Oxford, does not say he was a pastry chef though
Nearby is this memorial
I can just about make this one out as Anna & Jacob Oldsworth and he was a rector at Kencot and if you want to see what his church was like it's in the link
Not far away is this one of John Strong
Another one I cannot read
This in the old chancel and may well have been a stoup
The stone below is what I noticed was it part of a tomb
This certainly looks like a lid off one
In what was the lady chapel is this window
That still has some medieval glass Cromwells thugs could not reach
The nave ceiling
Royal coat of arms might be George II
The crypt, I found this picture in on Wikipedia of what it looked like
Looks like this now
Looking east to a small altar and yes they hold services down here
One of the doors that lead up to the church
The altar and small east window
Looking back west
The capitals on the pillars have carvings on them
They are a bit worn now
but still worth looking at
This one looks like men on horses
The font which I was really pleased to see has been saved
Look from the entrance on the way out
I'll leave you with this superb Norman font
Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week