Friends Meeting House Wallingford

Walking along Castle street in Wallingford you probably would notice be forgiven that you missed  the small courtyard down this entrance. It belongs to the Friends Meeting House

But go though this passage

And you will come out in this peaceful surrounding with the meeting house  which was built in 1724

The small courtyard hear welcomes you to the place of worship

Inside you find benches that date to the mid 19th century. At the front you see the Ministers Gallery where originally the benches would have faced

The back of the meeting house with bookcase over on the right

This was the ministers gallery where they would speak or preach. aided by a sounding board over their heads that has now been removed. The elders would have sat on the bench in front

Over opposite the entrance door is another door taking you to the garden outside, note the locking bar that not doubt has been there since it was built. The key here on the hook looks like it may well be just as old

It fits this door lock of the same age now painted over many times

Out side a row of headstones that were saved from the old meeting house in Warborough before it was demolished. The meeting house was along Quaker lane that still exists today

The garden outside is a pleasant place to be and a place you can sit and contemplate

You look upon the meeting house

Going back to the front courtyard and towards the wardens cottage built in Victorian times

I notice a well trod doorstep. I wonder how many people have trodden on it over the years.

Before I go through the passageway out to the street I turn around for another Look

And leave you with the view of the Friends meeting House and I feel grateful for the chance of visiting. If you want to know more then visit Mid Thames Quakers

Till Next time have a Peaceful weekend

St Peter Woolhampton

These photos were taken back in 2011 and I had forgotten I had visited the church until I looked at the map for churches I needed to visit around that area. I realised I visited an Abbey and church just along the road so a quick look though my archive showed I had. 

The first church there was built in 1291 and restored in 1869 and there is a nice history written about it on St Peters church website

The church is part of the Benefice of Aldermaston & Woolhampton which comprises of six churches  Aldermaston, Beenham, Brimpton, Midgham, Wasing and Woolhampton, so far I have visited one other which means four more to visit that are not on my list.

The entrance to the churchyard, well tow one an odd looking type that I have not seen before

Getting nearer you get a good view of the church and porch

In the churchyard you can see the village war memorial

The churchyard does go back quiet a way

Above an entrance to what looks like a transept

Far end of the churchyard is a kissing gate entrance. Nearby is a family vault

 

inside is the grave of Captain R.D.M.Gurowski

The grave of WO 

G Humphries is in the churchyard

The Norths side of the church looks very busy with a chapel and vestry

The front of the church at the West end you can see this family vault

I will leave you with this view of the Spire
till the next time I wish yo a peaceful weekend

All Saints East Lockinge

This is one church I have been trying to visit for a while since seeing it while driving past it one day. Finally got around to visiting it the other day. Looking at where it is built you would be forgiven in thinking it was built by the manor but in fact it is older than it looks as I found out when I noticed a date for the tower of 1564 on the side of the church. 

The history is from Wikepdia.
"The Church of England parish church of All Saints was built in about the middle of the 12th century. The Norman north door of the nave survives from this time. The chancel and the south chapel parallel with it were built in the 13th century but the chancel was rebuilt early in the 14th century. A south aisle was added in the 13th or early in the 14th century. A window in the north wall of the nave was added in the 15th century, but was altered to accommodate the west belltower that was added in 1564.
In 1886 the south aisle and chapel were demolished, the three-bay arcade between the south aisle and the nave was rebuilt and a new nave and chancel were built in place of the demolished aisle and chapel. This became the main body of the church, leaving the earlier nave and chancel as a north aisle and chapel. The reredos paintings are by the Arts and Crafts movement artist Kate Bunce and their beaten metal frames are by her sister Myra Bunce. Lady Jane Lindsay, presumably a relative of the Colonel, designed the glass of the east window.
The tower has a ring of four bells. The oldest is the treble, cast in 1578 by Joseph Carter of Reading, Berkshire, who later became the master founder of Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The third bell was cast at Reading in about 1599. Robert II Wells of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast the tenor bell in 1793 and he and James Wells cast the small Sanctus bell in about 1795. William Taylor cast the second bell in 1852, presumably at the foundry that the Taylor family then had in Oxford. Currently for technical reasons the bells are unringable.^"
Unfortunately for me I found the doors locked to the church so no photo's inside

You have to come down a long a drive to get to the parking area near the church, then you are greeted by these gates that open to a path taking you to the church. Either side you find it is fenced off

The entrance to the church is though the porch on the South side this one is on the North side

Over to the left you see the bell tower on which is a sundial the marking on which are still visible

Over to the right past  the fence the South side of the church extends in the pastureland

Go over the stile beside the West end of the church and you get to see the end of the South aisle and belltower

The West end of the church looking up the belltower

Going around to the North side and a gated and fenced path leading to the porch that shelters the North door

The North side of the belltower and the date plaque showing 1564

Looking across the churchyard to the North side of the church

The East end and South aisle

The south aisle and side chapel


Some of the headstones near the fence

More near the boundary which are in the nettles

The churchyard seems like it is in the pastureland though not far away seem to be boundary markers for the churchyard

Couple of tombs, one seems longer than the other indicating they were quite tall

 The top of one of the tombs

View of the two tombs with the longer on In the foreground

 Above this tomb is on the East end of the church and belonged to a past rector of the church

By the North porch you can find this old headstone

 That is all I can show you for this week, hopefully I will get to return to take some photos inside. Until next time have a peaceful weekend