2025 Review Pt2

 

This week we have the second half of my review of 2025 where I seem to really pack in the church visits and completed both the Clerics Trail and Oxfordshires Best Churches 

Collage of churches and windows, the church top right I did visit in December as a revisit and will publish a blog in a few weeks

July

 

 The fist church featured this month was St Mary Magdalen Oxford which I managed to visit after looking around St Michael at the North Gate I just happened to be open so who am I to pass off a chance. It was worth it

   

St Bilo Llanfilo  was  noticed in the distance while driving along the main road a while ago. It might look not a lot different outside but go inside and you see an amazing rood screen and pews dating to 1630

 

 

 I went back to Oxford to St Giles and visit the last of the churches I knew I could get into. On going in the door I noticed a lecture going on so I went off to another church and came back later when there were fewer people about.

 

St Aloysius Gonzaga Oxford. Was the church I visited while waiting for the lecture at St Giles to finish. This church did not have much to see externally but inside was stunning not like other Catholic churches I had been to. I just walked around in awe

 

August 

 

 

After going to St Giles I made my way down to St Barnabas Oxford, this one I found locked but as luck would have it a lady who was cutting flowers nearby had a key to let me and some other visitors from Australia in to see another stunning church

 

I decided to visit some Berkshire churches next, not my best choice as all the ones I visited were locked but St Mary Virgin Speen also had a large churchyard to look around. Hopefully I can sort out a revisit

 

I struggled to find how to get to St John Stockcross I could see the tower but it seemed to be in the middle of a field. After parking in one and finding the footpath there the church was locked. After going round the churchyard I sussed out the entrance from the road.

 

With  St Andrew Boxford. I was hopeful but again no though I did find out it was possible to visit again 

 

I did an update during the week about what I was doing next

 

I drove right past the entrance to St James Winterbourn. but managed to find the entrance after doubling back, again I found it locked but I would like to return when I can arrange it

 

September 

 

Started with St Peter & St Paul Wantage, which I had been to many years before but I wanted to update the blog it was just a shame the weather did the same and was overcast

 

St Giles Tetsworth has been on my list for a long time but I never got around to visiting even though I have with all the nearby churches. I made two visits after finding it locked I managed to return when they were working in there.

 

I had a few days in at our caravan on my own so took the opportunity to visit the churches on the Clerics Trail, well the ten I had left to see starting with St Harmon Garmon which turned out to be a pretty little church to see.

 

 

St Peter and St Paul Whitney-on-Wye was the next church and the first of seven I visited that day 

 

October 

 

I found St Mary Monnington-on-Wye in the middle of a cider orchard and a shot trek along a path but it turned out a nice visit

 

 

St Andrew Bredwardine  I have been wanting to see if only because it was Kilverts last church and where he is buried but aside from that part the church is well worth a visit

 

 

St Michael Moccas was not far away on an estate in the middle of a field 

 

From there I made my way to The Holy Trinity Hardwicke which was another church on it's own

 

November

 

St Mary Cussop took some finding 

 

 

I finished my days travel at St Elgon llanigon  where the miserable Rev Tomas is buried

 

I did a quick update during the week informing you of what other churches I had visited

 

 

St Mary Hay-on-Wye was the next day and after managing to miss the rain the previous day I found it on this one but the church was a welcome respite  

 

 St Mary Caple Y Ffin for me was the best of the churches I visited in that it was simple and neat and a church where you could be at peace with yourself and if it was not for the rain must be in a beautiful setting. I will try and return in some good weather

 

I did a mid week post of All Saints Oxford which is now Lincoln Collage Library. I have been in touch with them and hope to arrange a visit inside next year.

  

End of November saw me visit St Philip & St James  which is now the Oxford Center for |Mission Studies. I visited the place back in September on the Oxford Open Doors event. It's shame it is not a church as it is still quite something to see inside.

 

December  

 

St Peter in the East now St Edmund's Hall Library was next and after finding it had a Crypt I managed to arrange a second visit to see it.

There is not much of the old church to see inside other than memorials and stained glass which was a little disappointing after the last church but is worth visiting if you can. The Crypt though is superb with the carvings on the pillar capitals and the font. They still hold services there as well.

 

St Peter & St Cynir I visited as I happened to be passing and wanted to see what it looked like, unfortunately it was locked but it had a large churchyard to see.

  

St Matthew Harwell was the last church and was another I revisited for new photos I might add the place had changed from my last visit.

I still have a few churches from 2025 to post yet so hopefully will start visiting some new ones in 2026. One place high on the list is Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. There are a few more churches in Wales that were Highlighted my Bovey Belle that I would like to see along with a couple more up near Bredwardine. Oxfordshire till has plenty for me to explore along with Berkshire and Hampshire and Buckinghamshire not to mention Wiltshire and I still will be revisiting a few churches I have been to in the past I'd like to update.

Till next time May I wish you all a peaceful week

 

2025 Review

My review of 2025 where like other years I go through the churches I have visited during the year which is one where I visited more than 50. A year where I managed to finish visiting the Churches in the Book Oxfordshires Best Churches, finished visiting all the churches in the Clerics Trail along a few more, plus revisited a few churches I had been to before, the reason for this is because while writing up an article on Geograph on Oxfordshire Best Churches I noticed some were not quiet as good as now so I went back for new ones. The question is where to go next? I still have the rest of the churches in Oxfordshire to visit and a few more in Wales and Hereford.

January

January usually starts with some of the churches I visited from the previous year and had not yet written up into a blog the first was 

The Holy Trinity Finstock, which I did while taking out a new car for a test drive from the dealer I had taken my car in for a service to. Sadly the church was not open 

St Edburg Bicester was next and took up two blogs. It was a church I had wanted to see for a few years and finally took the plunge in going along, not the best to get to due to heavy traffic in the town but I did get a parking place by the war memorial in the churchyard. I was also invited to go back and be shown around which I might take up sometime

Midweek I did an update on what I was up to this year and have been doing the odd update every so often

 February 

The first church was the second part of St Edburg

Followed by St Mary the Virgin Adderbury this was the first church I visited in 2025 and where I managed to drop my new camera, lucky it did not seem to suffer any harm. The church was amazing to look around

St Mary Bloxham was the next church on the list with it's tall spire and cavernous interior 

 The last church of the month was St Peter-ad-Vincuna in South Newington a must to see the with It's medieval wall art and stained glass remnants 

March 

St Mary the Virgin Broughton came next and was one I had to make arrangements to visit due to it being locked, though when I got there it was open as the parishioners were cleaning the church

I was lucky with St Michael at Barford St Michael  as when I went in the door I found due to some church representatives disusing moving an organ, normally it was open on Wednesday. If you find it locked the porch is worth looking at with it's beak head carvings

St Michael Archangel  is a church I pass when going to or caravan in Wales, this time I stopped off for a look only to find the church locked. I would need to open if I were to return

 

St Cadoc Raglan was along the road home and after visiting the nearby castle years ago I wanted to stop off at the church. It turned out to be an interesting church to look around. I ended going back for a second visit after missing something I wanted to see

St Michal & All Angels Alkerton  I managed to visit will my son was at Banbury Hospital having a scan it was worth the effort visiting

April 

While driving past St Mary Banbury I noticed it was open so asked my son after picking him up him he minded visiting he was ok with this and I say a most stunning interior of a church I had wanted to see for a long time

St John the Baptist Hornton was visited a week or so later as I decided to visit the rest of the churches around Banbury

St Ethelreda  Hollrley was not that far from the last church and that was next and were I was overjoyed to see a rood loft

St Peter Hanwell was visited on another week and turned out to be an interesting church to look around with the carvings on the freeze over the chancel

May

I started this month with St Mary the Virgin Cropredy where the famous music festival is held

I was back in Wales the following week at St Mattew Llandefalle  where I saw a rather nice rood screen

 

I was back on the Oxfordshires best churches trail  the next week in an effort to finish visiting them and went to St Mary the Virgin Chipping Norton it was a vast church to look around and well worth visiting

From there I went to St Michael & All Angeles Great Tew which was on an estate and had some nice Norman features to see and a modern tomb effigy

 

St Philip Little  Rollright was the visited on another week as I finished off the churches in the west of Oxfordshire this was another church on an estate

I gave a midweek update next about what I would be doing with my blog 

June

 

St Andrew Great Rollright came next with it's  beautiful carved Tympanum in the porch

The next church was St Peter Hook Norton which had a beautiful carved Norman font to see.

 

St Mary the Virgin Oxford is a church I would recommend visiting it is stunning to see inside

 

St Michael at the North Gate was the last of the churches I could see in side in my visits of the churches in the Book Oxfordshires Best Churches, I returned in November to visit the tower which was closed on my fist visit

 That concludes the first part of my review for  2025 part 2 will be next week

Till Next  time May I wish you all a peaceful week