All Saints Spelsbury

 

This wee we visit All Saints Spelsbury the first of another tree churches I visited one morning and another two from Oxfordshires Best Churches. While I was there Oxfordshire Family History Society were in the churchyard recording all the names on the headstones along with photos. These are put on their website for you to see so I was told but you need to me a member and that costs a fee but then if you are into Genealogy it's not a problem. I have come across the Berkshire society as well at a Photo exhibition I was helping out at only they were taking photos of the pictures we had on display with out permission. After we asked them to stop they seemed not to want to say after that.

"The Church of England parish church of All Saints was originally Norman with a central tower. In about 1200 transepts were added, but during the 13th century the Early English Gothic nave was built on the site of the Norman chancel. The nave is flanked by north and south aisles. The present west doorway in the tower and several of the windows in the aisles are early 14th century. In 1706 the 1st Earl of Lichfield had the bell tower restored. In 1740 the 2nd Earl of Lichfield had the chancel rebuilt. In 1774 the 4th Earl of Lichfield had the nave and aisles remodelled. The chancel was rebuilt again in 1851. In 2001 the Church of England Benefice of Ascott-under-Wychwood, Chadlington and Spelsbury merged with that of Enstone and Heythrop to form the Chase Benefice^"

^{West end of the church and the entrance}

^{South side}

South side looking east

 North side

 East end with the two transepts

 

North side looking towards the transept

Looking south over the churchyard

A few of the older headstone with foot stones move up by them

Crosses and headstones

The churchyard here had a mixture of old and new headstons

 

Different areas of the churchyard

I was trying to keep out of the way of the people recording the graves, one of them was the other side of these trees

The one Commonwealth war grave of Trooper D.F.Wakefield

The person I talked to in the churchyard said these headstones had yet to be recorded they looked from around the 1700's

He also mentioned these two which stand out but have been forgotten about

Older headstone near the east end of the church

 

Looking west from over the wall

    

The church looking south east

South side view

 

From the north east

View from after walking in the church

Inside the nave

Chancel arch with oval window over it

Chancel from the arch

Altar & east window 

East Window;

 The altar with floral bouquets

 

Looking back through the arch

This tomb dominated the chancel

With some nice effigies of their children surrounding them

I cannot read Latin apart from a few words I can make out

He is one of the Earls of Lichfield

There are other magnificent memorials

I liked how this one had a couple of urns in a recess

 

They are quite beautiful

Memorial to George Pickering dated 1645

These carvings on the chancel arch are more recent one with the roll of honour for WWII hung below it

More memorials and tombs

The oldest one I think came off a tomb and is dated 1677

The pulpit

Wide view form it

Normal view

North aisle though the arches

 

Other way over to the south aisle

At the end of the south aisle a screen blocks off the transept

On the north aisle an arch leads in to the transept

A font cover is on he floor as you walk in

And this really magnificent tomb

Of 14th Viscount Dillon

The carving of Christ with angels looking over him

 

Looking back to west end of the aisle

This is what you see hung on the wall

The entrance with the font

There are a couple of Funerary Hatachments to see

One hangs above this stained glass window over the Roll of Honour

The list from both wars

Memorials of the Earls of Litchfield and family members can be seen on the north side

Along with this beautiful Funerary Hatachment

 

I will leave you with this view of the font which you see when you walk in the church

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week

St Michael Leafield

This was the last of the churches I managed to visit on this trip, I had hoped to get to one other at Ramsden but it had taken quite a while to get around the ones I had visited

" Leafield was a dependent chapelry of the ecclesiastical parish of Shipton-under-Wychwood until the 19th century. Leafield's Church of England parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, built in 1859 and consecrated in 1860. The bell tower was completed in 1874 and has a ring of six bells, all cast that year by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. St. Michael's is now a member of the Forest Edge Benefice."

From the road a nice lychgate to go through

Similar view to the fist one with my iphone

Getting a south view shot is not on and the best I could do was this one of the spire

Same around the north side

West end doorway

South east view with the spire

Porch with spire behind

Can't really get any more of a north side view than this

The church and churchyard form the path

Back to the boundary wall by the road

Headstones near the west end

This is a newer extension over to the south of the church

It is quite large

and the further east you find the most recent burials

From the extension you can see the church through the trees

Collage of graves and headstones

The porch on the south side

The nave as you come in

The nave with north and south aisles

Wider view of the church

The chancel and choir stalls

The altar with east window

The altar with cross and candle holders

Looking back through the arch

Typical Victorian banner though I have to admit this one is biggest I have seen

The organ with painted pipes

Pulpit

Most of the church can bee seen from it

The west end of the church with plain rose window

Lots of light let through with the upper windows

The east windows with rose window above

The east window shows scenes from the life of Jesus

The rose window I had trouble focusing on but shows God on his throne surrounded by angels and a dove

North aisle

South aisle with altar

The roll of honor is found on the south wall

Looking back to the west end of the south aisle

Collage of the roll of honor

The Font which is stood on pillars

Another view from the pulpit only going wide angle showing the whole of the nave and aisles

Looking down to the choir stalls and south aisle

I will leave you with this view of the church from the Preaching cross, the base is the original part the rest is Gothic Revival.

Till next time may I wish you all a wonderful week