St Peter Charney Bassett Return

After the disappointment of the weather in my last blog I found out that St Peter was open for Prayer on a Tuesday so as I had the chance I went back and took some more photo's, this time the weather was more pleasant and I had a look inside. The church may be small but there was a loot to see there It was well worth my time

The church looked so much different on a nice day in the sunshine

The walls much brighter though I often wonder why they get rendered over

I came out the door here on the North side so took a photo along it and walked around the back

This tie when walking in the churchyard my feet did not get wet in the grass















Over in the North East corner is an area where all the old headstones are laid flat lost from the original place

Leaning against the wall a couple of cast crosses with the names of the people who were buried under them some where in the curchyard.

The churchyard looking to the church

Couple of headstone from the same family

The tomb where you can still read the inscription on the side

Last week I did not notice the floral display in the porch

Inside the church looked bigger that outside, the cancel arch having a rood screen across it

Here you look across the nave to the North aisle

The back of the church from the centre where you come in, this area was cordoned off

Going down the front to the chancel where you can see the altar and East window

The top portion of the tracery has some stained glass, could not tell you how old this is

The East window with the altar cross below, to the right is an old candle sniffer

The back of the rood screen taken using a pano setting on the phone

This is what I had come to see the tympanum in the church which looks to be over an old North doorway, I might add there are a few in Oxfordshire but I have only seen one other at Church Hanborogh

It is really detailed though I'd love to know what the protrusion is, a Kights Head?

I read this was depicting Alexander with a griffin either side

Detail of the figures

and the scroll work around the outside

The pulpit

And looking out of it across the nave

The font stands in the North aisle it's age I could not tell you. Right looking down the North aisle

On the east wall of the North aisle is this beautiful plaque of the maddona & child

Under it a  table in memory of a person from the parish. Right a doorway forming a huge Squint

On the shelf under the madonna plaque is this lovely cross made from old buttons

In the back of the nave which is cordoned off are a couple of memorials, one is the Roll of Honour for Charney & Lyford from World War One.

On the opposite side of the nave to the pulpit is this lectern

With the carving of an Eagle on the front

The chancel window letting in lights right one of the old lights hanging from the roof

The North door my exit from the church
Till next time take care, stay safe and have a great weekend

Please remember in your thoughts and prayers those affected by those awful fires in California & Oregon. 

St Peter Charney Bassett

Visiting this church was a spur of the minute idea and not one of my best, I had looked at the weather and wondered if I would miss the rain, sadly I did not and got wet in the process. I also wondered if the church would be open and did not find out beforehand. Looking at Wikipedia I found a little history.
"The Church of England parish church of Saint Peter is Grade I listed. It has some twelfth-century parts and a turret with two medieval chiming bells. Noteworthy is the tympanum of the church, with a Romanesque relief depicting the ascension of Alexander the Great to the sky, a legendary episode from a version of the so called Pseudo-Callisthenes (the Alexander Romance).
Along with the churches of Longworth, Hinton Waldrist, Lyford, Buckland, Pusey and Littleworth, it is part of the Benefice of Cherbury with Gainfield.^"
 

It was just starting to drizzle as I got out of the car and I thought I might get a few photos before the rain came down. The church as you can see is near the road

The West end and above the small tower

Above the North side and from the look an aisle

Left the church looking from the churchyard

The porch looking from the gate and inside a beautiful carved doorway

Above the carved arch showing the church is older that it looks from the road. The door was locked so I had a look around the churchyard
Looking West I noticed a Commonwealth War Grave

 Private William George Franklin

Above a simple wood cross marking William Percy James Miles, the small brass cap badge marking him as serving in the forces

Right looking East towards the far end of the churchyard

This large chest tomb stood out near the church

Above a stitch view of the East end of the churchyard, the headstones here are more recent.

Right what looks like parts of a tomb stacked on the grave, the owner long forgotten about

Looking down to the East end of the church, rain spots evident on the pictures

Looking across towards the Chest tomb

A few of the older graves near the church

Lichen grows on this grave with Resting carved on the top

A last view of St Peters Church in the rain. I Feel the church needs revisiting to get some photos inside so I will return when I find out when it will be open.

Till Next time Stay Safe and Have a wonderful weekend

 

St Andrew Bradfield

Not much to tell you about this church which is no longer in use as a church and has been sold to Bradfield Collage. When I got to the church back in January I found it surrounded by safety fence with a note saying was there in case of tiles falling off the roof. A note also told me it was no longer in use. After phoning the old Vicar he told be Bradfiled Collage had purchased the church for use as a centre of some kind. I was put in touch with the church commission who gave me the name of the key holder who was of no help. The commission we good enough to try to get me on one of their visits to see inside then the virus took over and it all went out the window. When lock down ended I was told to get in touch with another key holder but as yet have not heard back.
The parish church of St Andrew was almost entirely rebuilt by Gilbert Scott in 1847. I read it was also the church where Catherine Middleton was christened and why I would love to have got a photo of the font.

The North side of the church was surrounded by the fence so getting a good shot of the porch was not an option

The belltower looked an interesting mix of flint and bricks and promised to be quite old

The South side of the church to the transept

Heading to the East end and the apse on the end, to the left you can see what could be a South aisle

Looking to the North slightly and a North aisle

On the East end of which looks to be a vestry

The churchyard was quite full of headstones

With an obelisk memorial near the boundary wall 

A cast iron memorial amongst the headstone on the North side and left further around towards the West end

The Commonwealth war grave of C.J.Knapp and an interesting one I will show at the end

This part was an extension to the churchyard at the West end and contained more recent burials

Quite an elaborate family plot

This seemed to be another extension

Looking along the North side

The boundary hedge to Bradfiield Collage with graves beside it

A rather nice Celtic cross with some very similar headstones beside it. They seem to be all women, Nuns maybe?

As you went further along the churchyard you walked past snowdrops surrounding the graves

A single chest tomb at the end

Last look at the snowdrops

The Grave of E Newnham who belonged to The Old Contemptibles You need to read the link to find out more. Need less to say these are rare and I have only ever come across one other though I did find out there are a few more at Old Reading Cemetery though I have not seen them. He lived through the whole of WWI. RIP

Till Next Time Stay Safe