All Saints Faringdon Pt2

After the look around the outside of the church this week we look at the inside of All Saints. Now such was the amount to see I did my usual look around and wonder where to start first but at least I managed to keep my head together and work in a reasonable order

The nave looking towards the transept and chancel, I was rather awestruck as to where to go first in the church but managed to get my head together and work from the nave

The transept arch on the nave side and chancel side

The altar which is dressed beautifully

The altar has a curtain behind

the altar which was decked with one of the nicest floral displays I have seen

Above the arch leading to the transept and above a George III coat of arms

Inside if you look up you can see recesses and nearby smaller ones with faces looking out

Right the Unton Aisle and left the South Transept










 

Above looking back through the transept to the West end of the church, 

Left I think this is the North Transept the door leads to the Church Office

Right the stained glass windows in the Transept

Looking right through an arch to the chapel off the chancel

The Transept is this pulpit is situated along with the view you get from it looking into the nave

There is a lot of very nice stained glass to be seen in the church

All have an inscription below dedicating them to the memory of a person who attended the church

Above this stunning window is in the Unton Asile

Nice funerary hatchment in the chapel off the chancel

This small case shows a couple of canon balls found nearby they date from the English civil war when Faringdon was besieged by Cromwells forces

Above the Roll of Honour from the First world war.
Right looking across the nave to the North aisle

One of the features pointed out to me is this turtle at the base of a pillar

Above the font you can see in the church with it's cover

The figure you can see in the Unton aisle kneeling in Tudor dress

I think she is Dorothy Unton

Behind is a wonderful memorial

on the base this skull.

Right the brass in tomb in the chapel

The colourful coats of arms

even the brasses have paint on them still

Nearby is another tomb with effigies on top

Both in repose and Tudor dress, They seem to have survived Cromwells men defacing them

Opposite the Unton Asile you can see this chapel

This has a fare amount of memorials in it

The most impressive one being that of Lana Pye

Left looking towards the entrance and the Unton aisle behind

I will leave you with this shot of the into aisle with the musical instruments that are in there

Till Next time have a peaceful week

All Saints Faringdon

A visit to this church has long been on the cards, I have been passed it on numerous occasions and have always thought it looked old and interesting especially with the low bell tower. The headstones in the churchyard looked interesting to view. I have to admit when I walked up the path leading to the church I was a little disappointed and the first thing I noticed was scaffolding around the building, restoration was in progress. the big disappointment was to find the door locked and for a few moments I wondered if there was another entrance to the church but as I was about to look the vicar walked around the corner. After finding out the church was kept locked  because of the opportunist thieves that walk in. After asking where I came from he took me round to the church office and handed me over to a nice lady there who admitted me to the church.
Some history from Wikipedia
"The Church of England parish church of All Saints may date from the 12th century, and the clerestorey and possibly the west end of the nave survive from this period. A Norman doorway survives, although not in its original position, in the baptistery. The chancel and north transept are 13th century and the west chapel is 14th century. The north chapel is a late medieval Perpendicular Gothic addition with 15th century windows.
All Saints has a central bell tower, which was reduced in height in 1645 after it was damaged by a cannonball in the English Civil War. Faringdon was fought over because it commands the road to the Radcot Bridge over the River Thames. The tower now has a ring of eight bells. The three oldest bells were cast in 1708. James Wells of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast the tenor bell in 1779 and another bell in 1803. The three youngest bells, including the treble, were cast in 1874 by Mears and Stainbank.
Local legendThe churchyard is reportedly haunted by the headless ghost of naval officer Hampden Pye. According to local legend, Pye was decapitated in a battlefield explosion while fighting in the War of the Spanish Succession after being convinced to enlist by his mother who sought to separate him from a local girl she considered an unsuitable match. An alternate local legend states that Pye was an unfaithful husband who was decapitated by his wife with a gun. The ghost was reportedly exorcised shortly after Pye's death.^{"
As the interior of the church has so much detail and rather than subject you to really long blog I will show the inside in a blog next week.}
  

The walk up the path leading to the church

This had to be the big disappointment for me, the church being clad in scaffold and corrugated sheeting hiding the church.

Above view of the short tower where you can just make out some scaffold
Left the path towards the entrance

This is around the North side where access only goes as far as the church office

The new church office built on part of the churchyard















Left the wonderful old North door and the West end of the church

The East end of the church with South side covered in scaffold and corrugated sheeting

Above the East end with some memorials

The South door with some amazing ironwork on it

Detail of the ironwork that covers the South door

The north side churchyard

You can also find this tomb chest there













This view is across the churchyard as you walk up the path

Looking left you see a few tombs and older headstones

Same side looking along the wall towards the entrance

The South side looking towards the town.


Right four headstones which look like they are one piece but are four separate headstone close together

Three tombs together

More of the churchyard South of the church towards the market place

Looking East over the churchyard

This part has an interesting oval tomb chest

Above the oval tomb chest along with more conventional ones

Left All Saints looking across the headstones

Looking North East

I found three war graves in the churchyard these two of Pilot Officer G.J .Habgood and Sargent H.R. Priestman are buried in their family plots

Private A.R.Platt

Above looking back towards the North side of the church
left another view of the South side of the churchyard

Till next time I will leave you with this little angle who watches over William Long and his daughter Nancy Jane, they were taken form this world so young.

Have a peaceful week
You can see the internal views by clicking the link