All Saints Chilton

This is a second visit to this church, last time I took photos with no tripod and was not happy with the results. This time I made sure I had one. The church dates back to the 12th century and the village is mentioned in the Domesday book sitting just off the ancient Ridgeway trail, the place even had a minor part in the second battle of Newbury during the civil war. In the last century it saw action from the second World War as the old RAF Harwell is on the boundary and I wonder how many men visited the church prior to the D Day invasion.

Above is the view you get waling in from the rear entrance to the church the main one is through the Lych gate here which may well have has a hedge or wall at one time on either side.

The path leads past the old churyard

 All Saints Church in Chilton

A path leads to the porch 

from thi sold gate which I am asuming was the rectory at one time

the path also runs from east to west in the churchyard

Inside the church is quite light and retains its pews

The chancel arch is quite small compaired to others and on one side is the carved pulpit the other a couple of memorials

One of them is the village war memorial listing the dead of the first war with a smaller one for the lost of the second war

The carved wod pulpit stands on a stone plint

Looking in the chancel you find that very light and airy

With stained glass window dipicting the birth, death on the cross and the resurection on Jesus Chirst

On either side of the chancel these stained glass windows can be seen

Memorials can be seen on the chancel wall

some on their own














Others in the Nave where you can also see the loft

The font is old as the arch here, an old door blocked up along with what looks like a small window

Avsouth aisle is a later addition and you can see the roll of honour for the Parish of Chiltn

Keelers as aways look very neat

Back in the churchyard you can wander round the many old graves like this fenced tomb

The small angle is on the north side where as the headtone you see is on the south













Here we look along the north churchyard

Daffodils growing near some of the headstones that have been placed agains the wall

St Mary's Upton

This is a church I visited many years ago but at the time I could not visit the inside as the church was locked. It is not a big church by any standards but it does have some history dating back to the 12th century. The present church was restored around 1885. The village comprises of around 170 houses and at one time had it's own railway station until Beaching waved his axe.

You enter the churchyard through a pair of gates in the corner of the churchyard

though most of the view is obscured by yew trees

 but when you clear them you see a wonderful little church

It does have a bell tower though I thing it only has a couple of bells in it

Looking from the chancel end you can see it has three windows

and at one time three crosses but I think the chancel one has fallen off

 Going inside you can see the church is old 

 especially when you see the chancel arch which still has some of its 12century carvings on it

The 12 century arch

The chancel with the priests  chair in the centre

Look back down the nave to the west end of the church

A memorial to one of the rectors is on the chancel wall

 There are no stained glass windows in the church but I did like this one which I think is 12century

This the outside of the window

The pulpit also serves as the village war memorial listing the dead of the two wars on it.

The font has iron straps on it to keep it together

and of course it has a small organ at the back

plus what looks like a very old chest

The churchyard has many old headstones

many which date back over 100 years

                                                                       Like this one





that belongs to Fanny Jane Humpfrey who dies age 4

On the east end of the church you can see more headstones

like these two

A bit further along is the new cemetery for the village which is well worth looking round 

 as you can see interesting headstones like this belonging to Author & Journalist Richard Seymour Hall

I'll leave you with this shot of the Manfield family graves with the church in the background.

Have a peaceful Sunday