2014 Review

I thought I would start the year off with a round up of some of my favourite church's I featured & visited last year. My Blog is now entering its' Third year and I never ceased to be surprised by the churches that I find locally and further afield. You pass by churches with no more than a second glance not considering what they are like inside but they are places of peace where you can spend some time away from the hassle of daily life even in a busy town. I have said many times you do not have to be religious to visit a church you can just go and spend some time there in quiet contemplation or if you wish pray. Most of the time I visit I stand there and wonder on the people who used to come to worship in the place in the distant past. What  type of people where they? Sometimes you go and walk round the churchyard and you can see the answer. 

Please enjoy some of the churches I visited that in my own words knocked my socks off

The first one that really made me stand back and look was the Holy Rood in Woodeaton not far from Oxford

 

It amazed me that this wonderful village church had withstood the ravages of time and still looked like it was in the 17th century 

A truly stunning church.

The Holy Trinity Ardington stands out next not because of the age but the chancel and Altar backdrop

It was quite beautiful

St James at Avebury stands out not only because it stands outside  a Henge but because the rood screen is so old and was hidden during the civil war

 Quite magnificent you have to admit

St Thomas of Canterbury I visited twice because the door was locked the first time

and I had to go back after seeing some mosaic on the wall but I was not expecting the mosaic behind the altar. It was worth the effort

The next place is one that is near to the hearts of My Wife and myself. We were so taken with the place we came back later in the year and renewed our vows together there in the grounds. 

Glasonbury Abbey a place that sill exudes peace

Hart to believe that the ruins here was once the chancel

I republished a few Old Bix being one though now the place is fenced off for safety and Aldworth Church which is famous for its Giants

Going back to Glasonbury when My wife & I retook our Vows I found St Patrick and wondered how I could have missed such a wonderful little church.

The chance to go inside St Peters Wallingford was not one I was turning down

How many ties had I passed the place and wondered on what it looked like

 Thats what I missed all those years

The pace that never disappoints me is Wales. I love going there when ever I can and I will say none of the churches I visited there disappointed me 

St Cewydd's was the one which really knocked my socks off

 Not many churches you can go in and the look like this and the date of 1668 carved on the door of a pew

My favorite churches I visted in Wales were all with in a few miles of each other near where I stay. The three St Davids of  Glascwm  Cregrina. Rhulen.

Glascwm may have been the oldest

 A shame the rood screen was lost

Cregrina may have lost its porch

 and retained it's rood screen

 but St Davids Rhulen.

stands out as being the most simple and in my view the nicest visited, a place you can be at peace

Happy New Year

St Mary the Virgin Purley

Purley on Thames is an old Berkshire parish very near Reading. The village dates back to Saxon times and the church here was founded around 1121 and described as 'ancient' in a founding charter of Reading Abbey. It was burnt down in 1135 during the Anarchy and the Normans rebuilt it in 1150. Graves dating from the 10th & 11th century were uncovered about a foot under the surface in some excavation work in 1982. I came here to look for a grave of someone killed in the Reading Bombing of 1943 unfortunately my search came to nought and the church was locked as well which is not uncommon in the area. These are a few photos I took while I was there.

Nice lych gate leading to the churchyard

St Mary the Virgin, one of the nice feature's I like is the belltower

Few old headstones lined up against the churchyard wall

The churchyard itself on the south side of the church

Path leading down to the entrance porch

The clock which was was probably fitted around the 17th or 18th century, one thing I like here is the coat of arm dated 1626 no doubt when the belltower was built.

 

View up the belltower and one of the war graves in the churchyard

This headstone is a memorial, one of the persons mentioned was killed in a bombing raid on the Rhine

North side of the church where they have extended the church. A feature I am not keen on as it spoils the look of the church, I think this was were the 10th century burials were uncovered

View along the west end of the churchyard 

 

St Mary the Virgin looking from the South East side of the churchyard
That's it for this year. May I wish you all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year and thank you for taking the time to read my Blogs.

All Saints Rotherfield Peppard

 This church I came across while doing some field work for a Lady who was writing a book on her Mothers life as a Mental Nurse back in 1939. She had been working at a nearby Mental Hospital and worshiped at this church. I went along to get a few photos of the church to send off for the book. As you can see it was a cold January when I visited

The Lych gate you see in the photo above has this plaque attached to it. Going though you get a better view of the church we are about to Visit

 Headingover the South East end of the churchyard gives this view of the church

 Then round the East to see the chancel end

Going on round the north side shows a small extension for the office

Heading in through the door you will see this view

but turn round and you can view this great stained glass window

In the center stands the church font

Going on to the chancel provides you with quite a choice of what to view

the carved wood altar with inlays or the backdrop mural of the altar

From the chance you can get a great view of the church

The font is quite simple

to one side is the north aisle with the lady chapel

and on the back wall are a few bequeaths

but I think it is the amount of stained glass windows that surprised me with this church

A lot  of the stained glass seems to revolve around the nativity as with above the annunciation

the on eon the right are the three magi and the birth of Our Lord

Another beautiful small window

Another with the birth of Jesus and a knight praying before the crucifix

This is the chancel window, which I find quite stunning

Back outside near the west end you can see the village war memorial

The churchyard is quite large

with quite a few old headstones

even on the north side

Love the carvings on these which date back to around 1700














Coming out of the lych gate if you turn right you see another taking you to the village cemetery.
On the gate pillars are a couple of more dedications

The cemetery has the newer graves than the one in the churchyard

and there are a couple of war graves there both from the RAF

Though this marker was the find of the day to me. I had to look up Old Contemptible.  J.H.Cumberland  M.M was with the Royal Field Artillery and fought in the first stages of World War one. I know of three other Old Contemptibles and they are buried at Old Reading Cemetery

Hope you have enjoyed the visit to this church. Have a great Sunday.

Taking Part in Inspired Sunday