St Mary the Virgin North Stoke

 

I have visited St Mary North Stoke on a few occasions and you will find I have also written a blog on the church which you can see in the above link but I felt I should do a revisit on this beautiful church.

 The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary was built in the 1230s when Robert de Esthall was the vicar. His memorial slab (1274) may be seen in the chancel. There are the remains of a Saxon piscina and rumors that the chest in the chancel is a 13th-century crusader chest. Most notable, however, are the large number of 14th century wall paintings. Consequent on these factors, it is Grade I listed. The original tower collapsed in 1669 and was not rebuilt until 1725. St. Mary's parish is now a member of The Langtree Team Ministry: a Church of England benefice that also includes the parishes of Checkendon, Ipsden, Stoke Row, Whitchurch-on-Thames and Woodcote. The Ridgeway path runs through the churchyard, to either side crossing the river Thames and climbing the Chilterns.

 

The Lychgate takes you into the churchyard

Made in the memory of Roy Kennerly Rumford

The tower from the west

South side of the church

South east view

The east end

View up the east window

South west view again with my camera

Door in the south side of the chancel

Above the blocked south door a mass dial  thought to be 12th century, a second one can be seen on the south west corner of the tower

 

 Tower with the mast dial on the corner

North west view of the church

Two family plots can be seen at the west end of the church beneath the tower

The path to the left is the ridgeway, walk along it and you will come to the River Thames

Looking back towards the lychgate

The churchyard has a number of chest tombs which is an indication of some rich families worshiping here

Looking towards the far west end of the churchyard

Various crosses in the churchyard

You can see quite a few older headstones like these around the churchyard

Cross with Celtic  reliefs on it

Three chest tombs and two coffin shaped ones

A cross marks out one of the family plots with the memorial inscription in the cross piece

The other family plot at the west end

Looking east along the south side of the church

Snowdrops grow in one of the graves

Inside the porch a late medieval door with original ironwork

Inside looking down the nave

Similar view taken with my phone

Chancel arch

The chancel

Altar and east window

The altar, the cloth covering looking a little worn

Looking back through the chancel to the nave

The nave from the chancel arch

North side windows in the chancel

Choir stalls

 

Stalls over on the south side

South windows in the chancel with lower one

Sounding canopy over the pulpit

The pulpit and carving behind it

Looking down from the pulpit at the nave

The nave  from the chancel arch

The east window with stained glass

The other double stained glass windows in the church

Lancet windows, the one on the right is in the tower

Roll of Honor

Some of the memorials in the church

Floor tombs

Above the chancel arch you can just make out some of the 14th century wall paintings

Along the south wall they are easier to make out

More of the wall paintings

Not so easy to see these on the north side

Stiff-leaf capitals on Purbeck shafts

More modern organ

Other things of historical interest in the church

Candle holders at the end of the pews

Roof joists

The font is 13th century with a Jacobean cover

View down the nave from the back of the font

They did have a rather nice floral display near the altar

I will leave you with this frosted inscription you can see at the top of the screen in the glass at back of the church. Till next time I wish you all a peaceful weekend