St Mary Return Visit

While visiting St Mary the Virgin Great Milton I read a notice on the door telling me the church was open on Sunday. This gave me the opportunity to return to get photo's inside of St Mary and St Peter at Great Haseley which I visited after as it was I even visited Little Milton on the way home as that was open as well. I will be publishing St Peter over two blogs as well they were both well worth visiting. The photo's were taken using my iPhone and Canon EOS R6 camera which is the first time I have used it in a church so I am still getting used to it.

A shot to remind you were we are going today

The South entrance in the porch was still locked but the north door was open and I have to say the inside was more than I had hoped it would be

Here we looking down the nave to the chancel

Similar shot only wider angle

Going into the Chancel

 Above the altar beneath the huge chancel window in the East end

Above the altar screen which is beautifully carved

Left the Sedulla & Piscina with a

Above looking out of the chancel towards the nave

Carved chair by the North wall

Refection from the stained glass windows

Above the Lords Prayer on a panel on the East Wall 

Stained glass windows in the Chancel

The Stained Glass East Window above the Altar

Couple more of the stained glass windows

Above the Angel Corbel

The nave from the chancel arch. After meeting one of the parishioners who had come into the church he told me to look along the line of the church. It is out of line IE slight dogleg. Story goes when it was noticed that only God can make a church perfect

 

 

The nave as seen from the pulpit

Turning right towards the North aisle

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Above the Pulpit a beautiful wooden on with steps

 

Here we we have view of the North aisle left and South aisle right which I presume is the Lady chapel

When I walked in the church this tomb was one of the first things I noticed and could not wait to have  a look around it, the photos were taken using flash because it was quite dark in there. I found it after taking to a parishioner that it was not in the original position and should be in the South aisle where the lady chapel is and that it is hoped in the future it will be moved back so the area can be made into a kitchen line in many other churches. Means you can get a better look around and I will return if it gets moved

There are Three effigies these two are on the lower part and are a man with I presume his wife beside him

Above the lady showing the detail of her face.

Left the base of the tomb has figures carved in it

Above one of the coats of arms on the side of the tomb

The effigy that you can see on the top part of the tomb, it's about eye level

Standing back and viewing the top canopy of the tomb

Above the font decorated for the harvest festival

Right some of the memorials in the corner above the font

Above a section of stained glass you can see on the South Aisle

The North aisle where you can see a door and balcony

The Balcony with an entrance door and right doorway to the roodloft that used to be in the church

Left a closer view showing the door an balcony.

Right the old door that would have taken you to the rood loft 

Plaques that list bequests that have been left to the poor of the village

Memorial the Eldridge family Left and right a royal coat of arms

One of the staffs which are on the end of the aisle's in the church

Beautiful little angel on a windowsill in the chancel

There are quite a few memorials and tombs in the floor of the church, the one on the left has the coloured reflection of a window shining on it. Right memorial to Thomas Yong  who died in 1692

Above a tomb in the aisle 

Left these two tombs are in the North aisle makes me wonder if the chapel was dedicated to them

I think this roll of honour is one of the nicest ones I have see with all the names hand written

Left memorial to Johannes Smith. Right If I right this is part of a medieval twisted wreath

Beautiful eagle lectern 

Bench still decorated for Harvest festival

Leaning against the wall by the lady chapel is what looks like part of a tomb with brass in place

These could be the children or whoever was buried under it

Not the oldest on in the church but still in good condition 

 

Before I left the church the person I was talking to pointed out a few things like this carpenters mark, you could call it blatant advertising so you knew who to contact for work. I must admit I did look up for these but missed this one

 

 

 

Over in the chancel arch these blocks were the base of the Rood loft, there is one tucked under the seat to the right a little which was removed to stop people tripping over it. They are mirrored on the other side of the arch

I will leave you with this shot of some of the fruit from the harvest festival on a cabinet at the back of the South aisle.

Till Next Time Take Care, and have Stay Safe and have a wonderful weekend

St Mary the Virgin Great Milton

 

I had noticed a church in Great Milton when I drove though the village one day & added the church to my list of ones to visit. Now lockdown has eased I decided to go along and visit while I had a chance. There are no internal views as the church was locked but I will return when I can find the church is open. Some history from Wickipedia:-

"The nave and chancel of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary were built shortly after the Norman Conquest of England. The building was damaged by fire in the 13th century. During the 14th century the chancel was enlarged and the north and south aisles were added. At this time the church served a parish including the villages of Chilworth Valery and Chilworth Muzzard, the hamlets of Combe and Little Milton, and the manor of Ascot. In 1850 St Mary's was restored at a cost of £2,000.

In 1552 St Mary's had four bells plus a Sanctus bell, and in 1631 Ellis I Knight of Reading, Berkshire cast a ring of five bells. It now has a ring of eight. Ellis II & Henry III Knight recast what are now the fifth and eighth bells in 1673. Thomas Rudhall of Gloucester cast the treble, second and third bells in 1771 and the tenor bell in 1772. In 1848 William Taylor of Loughborough, who at that time also had a foundry at Oxford, cast the sixth bell. In 1825 W & J Taylor also cast the present Sanctus bell.

St Mary's has a church clock that was made in 1699 by Nicholas Harris of Fritwell.^"

I did not know what to expect when I came to visit this church but it was a nice surprise to see one different to what I usually come across

The church looked most impressive with a tower that looked quite small in comparison to others I have Visited 

The tower was not much bigger than the rest of the church. The porch looked huge in comparison with the room over the entrance

Waling around to the North side you could see the North aisle and entrance in the side

Going down the churchyard you got a nice view  showing the tower at the West end and the staircase spire higher that the rest of the church

At the East end you could see both the South and North aisle either side

In the corners of the porch and aisle gargoyles stuck out

 

  On the West side a human looking one watched over the churchyard

  

 

 On the corners of the church you find recesses that would once have held a statue

 

 

 

 

 

 

The porch on the South side has a wonderful arched roof

 

 

 On the West wall you find a tomb slab

 

 

 

In the corner between the tower and the porch you find the village war memorial

Over to the West was the churchyard

Around the North side

Looking around you can see some interesting graves, not often you see a Head and foot-stone like this

At the far end of the churchyard near you find more graves and crosses

Above cast iron crosses lined up by a wall 

Left looking North across the East end of the churchyard

Turning West towards the Church

Above tombs and a fenced tomb chest

I spotted this headstone with a pheasant on it and below I noticed spent shotgun cartridges, made me think he used to shoot

Above an old headstone

Right looking West near the Porch

Looking back East

Looking along the path to the second entrance to the churchyard

I noticed an old headstone used as a slab over a gully by the church

The South side held a lot of old headstones

Some in better condition than others

The words carved in this one clear still today over three hundred years later

I will leave you with this view of a few of the older headstones.

Till Next time stay safe and have a wonderful weekend

Since writing the blog I have returned and taken photos inside of the three churches in the parish. I will publish the photos from St Mary the Virgin in the next blog.