Saturday, 17 April 2021

St Nicholas Church Ickford

 

This is not the first time I have been to this church, I visited briefly during lock down but intended to return for a more in depth visit. You will find some history off Wikipedia below the photo

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Nicholas dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. The nave was built in about AD 1210, with a porch in the middle of the south side. Relatively narrow three-bay north and south aisles were added in about 1230, with the south aisle absorbing the original porch and taking the porch's south wall for the limit of its width. The north aisle has one Norman and Early English Gothic 13th-century lancet windows, one of which has a later rere-arch with cusped spandrels, each with a carved rosette.

The chancel has two 13th-century lancet windows in its north wall. Near the westerly of these windows is a rectangular recess that may have been a squint. In its south wall are another lancet window and a 13th-century doorway. The Decorated Gothic east window is 14th-century and has reticulated tracery with ogees. The south wall of the chancel has at its east end a window from about 1350 that is said to have been brought from elsewhere, and towards the west end a 15th-century window with a depressed head. Some of the stained glass windows are 20th-century work by Ninian Comper.

The bell tower is substantially Norman but the upper stages were remodelled in the 14th century. The tower has a saddleback roof.

In the nave some of the seats are 16th-century and there is a west gallery fronted with 17th-century panelling. The pulpit and its tester are also 17th-century.

Restoration work was carried out on the building in 1856, 1875 and 1907. The large stone monument to the first Thomas Tipping used to be in the north aisle, but in 1906 was moved to its present position in the chancel. St. Nicholas' is a Grade I listed building.

The west tower has three bells. The treble was cast in about 1599, possibly by George Appowell of Buckingham. Ellis I Knight of Reading, Berkshire cast the tenor in 1623. George Chandler of Drayton Parslow cast the youngest of the main bells in 1716. There is also a Sanctus bell, cast by William Taylor's Oxford foundry in 1847.

The Puritan minister Calybute Downing held the living of the parish from 1632 but it was then conferred on Gilbert Sheldon in 1636. Sheldon already held the living of Hackney, received that of Oddington, Oxfordshire at about the same time as Ickford, and at some time also that of Newington, Oxfordshire. After the Restoration of the Monarchy, Sheldon was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1663. St. Nicholas' is now part of the Benefice of Worminghall with Ickford, Oakley and Shabbington."

 
The photo above shows the show the north side of the church

 Coming back to St Nicholas the church looks just as pleasant to look at

 
Getting to the church porch which had a notice telling people it would be open for private prayer from 2 till 4 pm which was unfortunate for me as I would be back home then
I did manage to get a good shot of the west end and the apex shaped tower

Getting around to the north side looking east
Another shot from further down the churchyard
North side of the tower
Daffodils and the church
East end of the church, not a lot of room to get a view end on
North side looking west
Another shot of the tower with what looks like a tell tail of an old roof line showing 
Another view of the east end from the south side
Turning left a view down the south of the church looking west
The graves in the churchyard start at the west end of the church
Going along the path past the west end of the church
Looking down the churchyard on the north side
The Spitfire carved in the headstone drew my eye to this headstone so I looked on Google and found this about Lew
Godfrey Llewellyn Baggett was known as Lew to all his friends.
Date of birth given on Service Record was 03/07/1922. Deliberately gave wrong date in the hopes of joining the RAF earlier than was allowed.
Was enlisted on 07/10/1940.
First flight was in a Tiger Moth on 12/07/1941.
Joined 602 Squadron 27/05/1943.
Left 602 Squadron 29/12/1944 after 547 hours and 15 minutes of flying.
Joined 57 O.T.U. Boulmer 05/01/1945 
The churchyard north of the church was covered in primroses
Looking west
From further back the churchyard on the north side looking west
South of the church looking west
I will leave you this week with this shot of some primroses that were in the churchyard
Till next time have a peaceful weekend 
I returned a few moths later and found the inside better than I hoped, you can see the blog in the link
 

Saturday, 10 April 2021

St Leonard Waterstock

 

St Leonard Waterstock was the first church I had intended to visit on this foray to the edge of Oxfordshire but on getting to the road to the village I found it closed so went off to see if I could get to it from the other side of the village only to be thwarted when I found the road work was being done that end. I then went off to visit the church at Shabbington  and Ikford for some more photos. I the was back I thought I would try to see if the road to the church was clear and I am happy to say it was. Some history of Wikipedia :- 

"Waterstock seems to have had a parish church since at least 1190. The current Church of England parish church of Saint Leonard was built at the end of the 15th century. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1790, and in 1858 the Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street restored the building. It is the burial place of the early-17th-century Puritan writer William 'Eternity' Tipping. Remnants of mediaeval window glass were recovered after the English Reformation and have been inserted above the armorial Ashurst window. This window, together with monuments in the church, records the families of local squirearchy who inhabited the manor house and retained its patronage until 1957.As well as regular church services, meetings and concerts are held in the church."

 


 The church is set back off the road a short way

Gate leads that takes you to the churchyard

Then to the porch, the doors were locked

Towards the bell tower

Near the west end, the window lets light into the bell pulls

Around the north side a porch the no doubt was from the house behind and an entrance to the north aisle

Looking left towards the chance a small vestry has been added

The North side showing the north aisle and chancel

Around to the east end

around to the south looking west

The cancel looks to have had the windows covered with black plastic and there is a large crack running down the wall towards the window.

Here we look west along the south of the church

Back to the west end of the churchyard

Against the wall and old headstone has been placed

The west churchyard looking south

This is along the north side of the church

A family tomb chest in the corner of the chancel and north aisle

One more look as we walk away to the car. I intend to revisit the churches in the area when lockdown is lifted and the churches are one again 
Till next time have a wonderful weekend and stay safe
I returned a couple of months later and posted the photos in a revisit blog click on the link to view
 
Remember in  your thoughts and prayers HRH Prince Philip who died on Friday, who met once at the opening of Diamond Light Source I found it a very Humbling Experience
Rest In Peace
 





Saturday, 3 April 2021

St Mary Magdaline Shabbington

 

 Shabbington was one of the churches I had intended on visiting when I got a chance as it was near a couple of others I wanted to see. One I have give a glimpse of at Ickford and will update that with more photos I took on this visit. Looking on Wikipedia I found some history on the church :-

"The nave and chancel of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary Magdalene are 11th century. The chancel windows are the 13th century and the Perpendicular Gothic bell-tower is later medieval. The pulpit is Jacobean and was made in 1626. The present nave windows are Victorian Gothic Revival additions. St. Mary Magdalene's is a Grade II* listed building.

The tower has a ring of six bells. All except the treble bell were cast in 1718 by Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the treble bell in 1881. There is also a Sanctus bell cast by Thomas I Mears of Whitechapel in 1794.

The parish registers date from 1714. St. Mary Magdalene is now part of the Benefice of Worminghall with Ickford, Oakley and Shabbington."

From just inside the gate looking towards the church

I zoomed in on this view to show the church

The porch and tower

Another view showing the north side of the tower and buttresses

The tower here looks like it has huge feet

Looking over at the south side of the church from the west. The buttresses look huge that support the tower

Going down to the east end looking west

The east end wall and window

Some of the headstones near the church along with a Chest tomb that is falling apart

As you walk in the churchyard you pass this grave cross leaning into a yew tree

The churchyard south of the church looking east

Over in the south west corner is a kissing gate leading to a footpath with some tombs beside it. The information board tells yo about the red kites which fly around here

Around the north side looking west



This memorial stands to one side of the path

The churchyard north of the church with the village war memorial

An old headstone with the inscription eroded away

Inside the porch palms from palm Sunday left for the parishioners to collect

I will leave you with this view of a display of daffodils which are beside the the path

You can now see the inside in the link 

Till Next time have a Happy Easter