Return to St Mary Magdalene

This was an unexpected return visit. I just happen to be passing while going to a builders Merchant nearby and notice the church was open. I resited the urge to visit straight away but went back home and got my Camera. I last visited the church for this blog just over a year ago  but have not had a chance to go back until now. Some history on the church I found on Wikipedia
"The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary Magdalene is said to have been built in about 1120. The north door, south door, three windows in the south wall, chancel arch and font are all Norman. A north transept with a pointed arch was added in about 1200. The building was restored in 1836 and 1868.^{"
The photos were all taken with a Canon SX730 zoom camera}

St Mary Magdalene Church

Looking along the nave to the chancel have to thank the husband of one of the Churchwardens who kindly turned the lights on. The high widows make it a dark church

Above a couple of views of the chancel and altar.
Right the dressed altar

Above the beautiful window in the chancel
Left the cross and candle holders

One of the choir Pews

Above a couple of views into the nave from the chancel

The window at the back is lit and took a while for it to show up.

Above quite a wonderful pulpit and left a view of the nave from it

Here you can see the lady chapel which is partitioned off as there is a kitchen it it at he moment

Above the eagle lectern and the church organ
Left one of the prayer desks at the entrance to the chancel, there is another on the opposite side

Memorial to Walter Wilder and his wife Mary. Walter built up an Iron Foundry just along the road from the church

Above the Roll of Honour for Crowmarsh.

Left memorial to Elizabeth Ashton

Memorial to John Williamson and his wife Frances.
Right detail of the skull at the base

Left the memorial to the Clack Family

Another Clack memorial dateding to 1664

Above a church brass that looks partly damaged and dated 1576
Left memorial to Gladys Frances Rodney in the Lady Chapel

memorial to the Wynn Family in the Lady Chapel

Memorial to Thomas Clack 1664 though I do wonder if the plaque is that old

This one looks like it is to Bridgit Parsons who dies in 1645

Memorial to Rev M Robert Sellwood MS who is buried beneath the stone

Above the triple stained glass window in the Nave near the Chancel

The last three stained glass window are in the Lady Chapel and I have to admit they look like they havebeen made recycling old glass

 Above the beautiful window on the East end of the Church

These two windows can be seen in the nave

Above this window was made as a memorial to Emily Wilder

The picture is Emily with here children, she looked to be a very beautiful woman

Above the stained glass window on the West end of the church
Left one of the windows on the West end

This one is on the other side

Above and left the church font

Above two panels showing the lords Prayer and tend commandments.
Right memorial near the Altar dated 1755

Above tomb near the altar.
left small brass memorial to Vivien Mary Clemence

The last three photos above show the ceiling joists and the entrance to the bell cote which now contains a set of eight tubular Bells causing the cote to lean to onside

This plaque showing the last supper is on the window sill of the large stained glass window I shower earlier

Nice feature is this gas light
with its holder that you cans see in the photo below. It is mirrored by another the opposite side

Above a floral arrangement near the altar and a prayer tree on the font 

Back outside and a look at the two Norman doorways you can see.
The churchyard where the wilder family buried

Last look at the church

I will leave you this week with a view of the cross and alter in the background.

I'm dedicating this blog to My Friend Massey who died a couple of weeks ago and who's funeral I attended this week. I worked with him for many years enjoying his company and who I never can remember swearing or running any one down. RIP Massey 

St Pauls Highmoor

Not often you come across a church for sale but that is what I saw on my way to visit another church at Rotherfield Greys. On the way back I topped off to get some pictures before it was sold.

Not a sign you expect to see on a church

 

Saint Paul at Highmoor Cross was designed by the architect Joseph Morris of Reading and built by Robert Owthwaite of Henley-on-Thames in 1859 as a chapel of ease by the vicar of Rotherfield Peppard to cater for the wider rural population of the parish. The church was apparently paid for (along with the adjoining unlisted parsonage) by the Revd. Joseph Smith, the rector of Rotherfield Peppard, as a chapel of ease. Highmoor was made a separate parish in 1860.

St Paul’s was the parish church of Highmoor and was declared closed for regular public worship with effect from 1 June 2012, when the parish of Highmoor became united with Nettlebed.

View of the church along the north side

Another shot this time looking west

Taken over the wall towards the church

North side view

 West end shot with the bellcote

 Have to forgive me with this photo it's a stitch of the south side of the church from one end of the churchyard

The entrance door

Looking through the grass to the East end of the churchyard on the South side

Much of the South west end of the churchyard is covered in Blackberry bushes hiding graves

the just poke up out of the shrubbery

 The East end is clearer

Above the stained glass you can see from the outside.

Right the church beside the road on the North side

These graves are on the east end of the church

Above the two war graves you can see. Private A Green & Private R.Baldwin.
Right the remains of a cast grave marker

Above a broken cast marker and a compete one in differing parts of the churchyard
Left the churchyard suffers with long grass

One tomb nearly lost in the grass

Waling around to the East end

The East end where you can see fresh flowers left on family graves

 I'll leave you with a shot of the bellcote and the silent bell on St Pauls
Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend