St Mary the Virgin Silchester

The last time I saw this church was nearly 20 years ago when my Children were at Junior school. I had forgotten about it untill my wife suggested we visit Silchester which is an old Roman town (the walls you can see in the photo) I remembered the church and it was on the list to see.
After walking round the wall from the far end of the site we came to the church.

This is the view from the road, the church is on the other side of the old Roman wall.

This is the first view I had of the church after waling round the old Roman walls whan I came in the rear entrance to the churchyard.

A couple of old graves are near the porch on the north side of the church

With more on the opposite side under a yew tree

Looking from the east end towards the church spire

The weather vane is unusual in that it has a fish, most I have a cockerel on it

This is the view down the nave from under the belltower, that is a greating down the middle

The photo came out a bit dark but shows the rood screen up

This was taken hand held as I got fed up with the tripod I had which ws not the normal one I use. It shows the detail on the rood screen
















It was nice to see another covered pulpit

The Chancel which if you look you can see what look like Medieval paintings

Here you see the altar and the chancel window

Used the flash on this as the light was not working for me

Couple of the superb stained glass windows in the chancel

The staind glass windows and memorials on in the North wall

One of the memorials and a beautiful framed one in honour of the fallen from the first world war

This carved stone one is on the south wall and commemorates the second world war dead

 looking out from the rood screen towards the spire & bell towere which is supported by those huge wooden beams you see

On the left is an  hatchment
and a stained glass window from the south wall

Where you can also see this tomb effigy

 Set in its own recess

Usual floral arrangement

A deed dateing back to 1815

This beautiful stained glass windwo is a memorial to a couple. The church font is also nearby with corona over the top

This grave belongs to General Sir Edmund Haythorne KCB who was Adjutant General of the Army in India. He died in 1888

More graves and a rather nice dome top tomb

Thes graves look like they belong to a family

Leaning up against the groundsmans shed are these footstones which date from the early 1700's

Couple of old tomb stones

View aross the churchyard

Here we look at the church from the south side

Another south side shot of the church

I'll leave you with this view of the church taken from the Roman walls by my wife. She has a better eye than me
Have a peaceful Sunday.
Taking part in Taphophile Tragics & Cemetery Sunday
Inspired Sunday

St Thomas of Canterbury

St Thomas of Canterbury in  Elsfield is only a few miles out of Oxford. The village is small and you would think you were well out in the countryside rather than a few miles from a city. Unfortunately for me the church was locked so I could not get to see the inside like the other church I visited not so far away at Woodeaton

The church sits atop a small hill which over looks Oxford

Looking from the east end of the Churchayrd

The chancel window looks to have some very nice stained glass in from what I can see of the outside

Looking over at the church from the south side of the churchyard it looks as though the chancel was added at a later date

From the noth side a new estension has neen added which blends in well with the church, I presume this is the village rooms mentioned on the bord at the entrance to the church yard

The nice thing about the churchyard are the snowdrops which grow round the place

The first sign of spring.

Looking round the churchyard you can see lots of old headstones

Along with a couple of tombs 

The Author  John Buchan
has his ashes buried in the churchyard and only lived a few hundred yards down the road at the Manor

 Some graves have footstops 

This one sits by itself under a window on the north side

Where you can see more older headstones and memorials

At the east end of the churchyard you can see a new part has been added many years ago

I have now revisited the church and you can now see the interior  buy clicking the link

 Enjoy your Sunday

St Mary & St Nicholas Compton

The correct name is Parish of St May& St Nicholas Compton. A place I visited when on the search for remnants of the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway. Compton had a station which was near the Church across a field, so who am I to pas one by when the door is open.

The church sign prominent beside the road

 How you see the church looking up the footpath

The belltower which as you see is flint faced and on the right  the chancel end of the church with buttress and small windows

 The north side of the Church from across the churchyard

As ever on most English churches you find a blocked doorway which is where the peasants used to come through. The main entrance is through the porch

Inside you find arches and pews

A chapel is in the north aisle through the arches. The  nave &chancel has some wonderful floor times

 View through the chancel arch to the nave

 The photo could be better as I did not use a tripod
like I do now but shows the altar and stained glass windows you saw in a previous photo of the outside

The back of the Altar

Turning round you can look down the nave where you can see a wonderful carved wood pulpit

 I have not looked up the lady but she looks like she was in the OSS

Here are a few of the stained glass windows you can see in the church

They are all quite beautiful

Never found out how old this trunk was but I suspect 15 or1600

Inscription painted on the wall

 The church font & cover

This was an exhibition about a a new Lych gate that was to be built.
Since visiting the Church a New Lych gate has been built, I will get a photos when I am over that way.

Surprisingly considering the size of the churchyard there were not that many graves

Though there were some nice memorials

This I think was the memorials for the cremations which looks like it has seen better days, mind you it was February

     

Inspired Sunday