St Mary Iffley

This will be the  last post from the Church Explorer for 2019 and is a church when I found out about it that I wanted to visit. It is Norman church that has changed little since it was built in 1160, then it was a small village beside the Rover Thames but over the years it has become absorbed into the City of Oxford. The is a little history on the church on Wikipedia

Finding the old Village let alone the church was a bit of a task but I got there in the end and found a typical English Village set in the city suburbs.

Be warned this will be  along blog so I'd get a coffee and cake while I show some Norman Architecture. The photos were taken with both my iPhone and DSLR

I found getting a photo of the North side difficult and should have used a wide angle lens

The West end with the Norman doorway

South side and another entrance

Both North and South side doorways

The East end

Above the East end showing the window while left the top of the tower

Another North side view

Above the tower and entrance to the bell loft

Left closer shot of the West end

The West doorway is most impressive

The carvings around the outside quite outstanding

It is hard to comprehend that all this was carved by a Norman Craftsman

The detail is incredible

Inside you look along the nave to the crossing

and see even more Norman workmanship

Here from the crossing in the tower you look to the chancel

The altar is quite beautiful to look at

Looking the other way through the arch
Left the altar screen on the West wall

The piscina (left) and sedilia

The floor of the chancel beside the altar had memorials on

you can just make out the inscriptions. I should have taken a photo of the altar rail as the gate slides inside the rails, quiet unique 

Above the West window with the North and South widow here left and right

I think one of the outstanding features is the rose window in the West end

Left looking through the Nave and chancel arches

The stone carving is just wonderful

I think you could spend ages looking at it and finding things to look at

I laid on my back to get the last few photos.
Left some of the detail on an arch

More of the amazing detail

Taken with my iPhone

I really cannot get over what I see

Back at the Rose window and the Organ over on the left

The architecture would be at home in a cathedral

The candelabra looks a little out of place

As you walk in to the right you can see this moder piece of stained glass by John Piper

Opposite is another modern window

Though if you look you can see older glass around the church

Though after visiting Henley I wonder if some is Victorian made to look older

There is a lot of Victorian stained glass in the church

The Rose window again with lights above it

Couple more windows in the nave

Above a benefactors plaque from the early 1700's

Left the Pears memorial with Right you see the Roll of Honour

There are a few old memorial along with another plaque from the First World War

The memorial on the left makes sad reading as Jon died aged one month and his twin when he was 5. Richard Allin lived to the age of 71

two more memorial beside the nave arch

These memorials are beside something that puzzled me at first, there are few places like this around the church

The cleaner there told me they thought these plaques were attached to those places once

This did not take much to work out, there was a rood loft in the church once

Left the organ and right the font

The cover is quite modern

And well Worth taking a few moments to look at

Outside you can see quite a few headstones

Most are of an age

with moss growing on some others sinking in the ground

I found it a pleasant churchyard to look around

In the corner a sculpture

Outside the entrance what I can only assume is an old font

Looking East along the boundary wall

some of the graves beside the South wall of the church

moss covered tombs

Headstones and crosses

The winter day adding to the feel of the churchyard

The cross above marked a huge family plot in the churchyard



Right we are near the entrance

Looking back at some of the churchyard opposite the North side of the church

Across the road is a churchyard extension

which I must admit looked quite full up now

St Mary's church looking across the cemetery

and as I walked out a headstone that took my eye

I will leave you for this year with this Advent Wreath and will wish you all a 

Merry Christmas and Happy new year

St James the Great South Leigh

This was the last of the three churches I was visiting and one which was not on my list but a last minuet addition for me after seeing some photos of the inside. In truth I did not realise there a South Leigh let alone a church but then I had been to the North Village so should have known. I was not let down by the visit. Some history off Wikipedia
"The Church of England parish church of Saint James the Great began as a chapel of the parish of Stanton Harcourt, and remained so until 1868. The oldest parts of the church building date from the latter part of the 12th century. The present chancel arch was built about 1300, the tower arch was built during the 14th century and the south doorway of the nave dates from about 1400. The church building was extensively altered in the 15th century: the north aisle and chapel were added, the bell tower was completed, and new windows were inserted in the south and east walls of the chancel.
In 1871–72 the architect Ewan Christian restored the chancel and C. C. Rolfe began restoring the nave. Rolfe's cousin H. W. Moore completed the nave restoration in 1887-88. During the restoration extensive 15th century wall paintings were discovered. They include a Doom painting over the chancel arch, the seven deadly sins, Saint Michael weighing souls, the Virgin Mary (originally part of an Annunciation scene) and a rare painting of Saint Clement. Burlison and Grylls heavily restored the paintings, re-drawing the weighing of souls at twice its original size.
St. James' tower has a ring of eight bells, all of which were cast by Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1907. The church has also a Sanctus bell cast by an unknown founder in about 1399."

St Mary's church looking from the entrance

The bell tower with clock

The clock tells you 

"Ye Know What Hour Your Lord Doth Come"

Going around to the West end with door.

Right the North side of the Church

Another view of the North side showing the chancel end along with the North Aisle

Heading around the South side via the East end

Inside the entrance porch the 14th century doorway

where you can see this Roll of Honour

The first thing you notice on entering the church is the doom painting

It really stands out above the 13th century arch

I find it amazing how good the condition of it is

The detail is some of the best I have seen

Considering it dates back to the 15th century

and it survived all this time
 The other thing I noticed was the rood over the screen

Inside the chancel the altar is covered and has the altar cross and candle holders on it
Behind is the stained glass chancel window

Above the altar and left the pulpit on it's slender stem.
right St Michael forms the lectern

From the pulpit you look down the nave

The entrance  to the pulpit is through this doorway which I have no doubt formed part of the rood loft this church once had
Above you can see the bequests left by local benefactors to the poor of the parish

The North aisle ends in a screen where once there would have been a chapel, now it is used as a vestry, if you enter it you can see floor tombs and some reuse stained glass in the window

At the back of the church below the organ is the font and over to one side this paining of the Annunciation

Above the 

painting I think depicts Mary being taken to Heaven

Left a church brass which I could not get a good photo of because of the light coming though the window

Right a wall painting of the wall of the North aisle

The North aisle through the pillars

Above and left the organ which hides the 14th century arch leading to the tower

Keelers hang neatly on the back of the pews

These words were no doubt put there in the 19th century

Last look down the nave

Outside on your entry to the churchyard you get this view

With this memorial standing out in the churchyard

Right the headstone leaning up on the east end wall of the church

Cannot say how old the left priest door is but their seems to be what looks like Mass dials on the post

 

Outside the churchyard is quite large though most of it is on the North side

Here we look West

The Commonwealth War Grave of Fusilier J.H.Claridge

I will leave you with this photo of two headstone slowly sinking into the ground the look like early 18th century
Till next time I wish you a wonderful weekend