Cotswolds Cotswold Churches

Eleanor · Jun 18, 2020

Taynton, Oxfordshire - Church of St John the Evangelist

A pleasant small church with nothing special to attract the visitors

The church is at the edge of the village and reached down an avenue of trimmed yew trees. It was built around 1450 in the old fashioned Decorated style, rather than the Perpendicular style associated with a building of this date.

It has a very tall buttressed and battlemented west tower. The top is later. The clerestoried nave has side aisles. The chancel is low with a pointed roof. There are a couple of old stone memorials on the outside walls.

Entry is through the north door. Inside fluted pillars and pointed arches separate nave and side aisles. There is a small carved head at the base of the arch. The wood beam roof has corbels with carved heads and gilded bosses, each different.

Inside the door is a a big octagonal font with kneeling angels at the corners. The arches between have tiny carvings of birds, evangelists, winged beasts... Above the door is the Royal coat of arms.

Plain glass windows flood the nave with light. The chancel in comparison feels much smaller and darker, with the only light coming through three lancet windows with C19th glass. Round the chancel walls is a narrow painted band with small white flowers on a red background. Below is a blue band with a narrow red band below that.

The church is open daily. It is at the end of a small lane to the south of the village, with only a small parking area outside the lych gate. Turning is difficult. It is best to park on the main street and walk. The nearest post code is OX18 4UB and the grid reference is SP 234135.

Eleanor · Jun 18, 2020

Temple Guiting, Gloucestershire - St Mary’s Church

A splendid decalogue and some lovely medieval glass

Temple Guiting is a small village tucked away in the Windrush valley away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist Cotswolds.

The church was founded in 1170 by the Knights Templar who owned the Manor and a lot of land. They grew rich on the wool trade and when the order was disbanded in the early C14th their money was seized by the Treasury and the church granted to Christ Church, Oxford.

The chancel is the oldest part of the church, dating from the C12th. Below the roof is a corbel table with beautifully carved beasts, figures and grotesque heads. One has a Maltese Cross, the only evidence the Templars were connected with the church.

The rest of the church is later. At the west end is a square battlemented tower with short corner turrets. The nave and transepts are battlemented.

Between 1743-85, Rev George Talbot paid for a major restoration which explains the Georgian style windows in the nave and transepts and the Georgian door into the tower. He was also responsible for the plaster Royal Coat of Arms at the west end.

Inside, it is a fairly plain church with plastered walls and wood beam ceiling. Light floods through the large plain glass Georgian windows.

Visually the decalogue above the south door is the most impressive fitment in the church. After the Reformation, all churches had to display the Lord’s Prayer, Creed and Ten Commandments, as these were felt to be the only true foundations of the Christian Faith. The Royal Coat of Arms symbolised the legal power of the state over the church and was usually placed above the chancel arch. Here it is placed on the west wall.

The splendid decalogue was placed over the east window and took up the whole of the east wall. It was removed in the C19th and lay forgotten. It was discovered and carefully restored in 2004 and placed above the south door. The space could have been designed specially for it as it is a perfect fit. It is a beautiful bit of carving. All the gilding is original, indicating how glorious it must have looked when new.

The hatchment on the north wall is of Rev George Talbot. Below is the memorial to the dead of the 1914-18 war.

The three panels of medieval glass in the north window are part of a set of twelve. The rest were sold by the Talbot family to the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York for £5 in 1809.

The C15th font is by the blocked north door.

The organ fills the south transept and has a decorative blue hanging across the bottom. By it is the pulpit.

On the north wall by the chancel arch is a small lancet window by Tom Denny, which was installed in 2009 in memory of Lord Butterworth, founder of Warwick university.

The colours of the window glow in the light. The image in shades of red and oranges is based on Psalm 111 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. At the base is the primordial universe. Above is a typical Cotswold scene with a figure, stone wall and gate.

The church is always open. We parked on the road by the church. The parking at the end of the grassy drive to the church proclaims ‘reserved for clergy’. The nearest post code is GL54 5RW and the grid reference is SP 091278.

Eleanor · Jun 18, 2020

Tetbury, Gloucerstershire - Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Mary Magdalene

Stunning simplicity

Tetbury is a small, busy market town with a splendid market hall standing on stilts and a range of Elizabethan and Jacobean buildings.

Tetbury’s prosperity is due to William de Braose, Lord of the Manor. Around 1200, he relinquished many of his feudal rights and granted the merchants the right to govern themselves in exchange for yearly ‘burgages’ (rent). Merchants now had the incentive to become involved in commerce and the growth of the town.

In 1623, the Berkeleys, then Lords of the Manor, offered leasehold tenants the right to purchase their houses. This enabled the Burgesses to establish a system of local government that granted them an unheard of level of independence. This structure of local government was headed by seven 'Feoffees', influential townsfolk who ruled the town for over 250 years, until the reformations of local government in the 20th century. Even today the Feoffees are responsible for maintenance of the Market Hall and several areas of local parkland.

The church is set on a mound to the south of the market place, shielded by trees. The churchyard is kept as a wild flower area with an information board with pictures of the flowers seen during the year. In early April there were primroses, daisies and lesser celandine.

The church is thought to have been the site of a Saxon monastery. A new church was built in 1160 with tower and spire added in the C14th. At 186 feet it is fourth highest in England. The church was badly damaged by a storm in the C17th and fell into a state of disrepair. An Act of Parliament allowed the church to be demolished and a new church built keeping the tower and steeple. Later, the tower began to list so was taken down and rebuilt using the same stones in 1891. The church is regarded as one of triumphs of Early Gothic Revival architecture.

The church is big and it is almost impossible to get a photograph of it all. The tower is a solid buttressed and battlemented square with pointed pinnacles at the corners. Above towers the very tall and elegant spire. The nave and chancel are very tall with huge clerestory windows, battlemented top and lots of crocketted pinnacles. Round the base are very low side aisles.

Entry is through the west door into a narthex below the tower. This has a modern mural entitled the Magnificat, which was specially commissioned during te4h 1990s restoration of the church. It is definitely eye catching, and we assume parishioners are happy with it. I have to confess, it wasn’t to our taste...

The small simple stone font is at the back of the church.

Inside the overwhelming impression is of light and height. The church is unusual as the side aisles form an ambulatory round the nave with doors off into a series of rooms. Stone effigies line the sides of the ambulatories. One of the rooms has a small Heritage Historical Exhibition, covering the history of the.

The church has been restored back to its original Georgian plan and is an uplifting building. The tall and very slender pillars soar up to the vaulted ceiling. Hanging from the centre of the nave ceiling is a huge candelabra, made about 1781. The candles are lit for the great church festivals and for weddings. At the end of the south aisle is a C17th copy of Raphael’s “The Holy Family”. Above it is a large wooden cross.

A dark wood gallery runs round three sides of the nave also supported on narrow pillars. The organ now occupies the western gallery. On either side of it are large wall memorial slabs. On either side of the west door are boards with the Ten Commandments.

The choir is empty apart from a few modern chairs. An altar rail encloses a small sanctuary. The altar front has tall thin arches painted in yellow, blue and red. On either side are very tall floor standing candlesticks. Behind is a tall backed celebrant’s chair. The east window contains C19th stained glass of the Last Supper.

The very modern lectern/pulpit appeared in 1992/3 and is based on a forged boiler plate. The church guide explains it is ‘intended to reflect the clear simple lines of the nave and chancel’. It is certainly different and definitely minimalist.

The church is open 9-5 every day and has a small shop at the back. There is some on street parking near the church otherwise, there is a short term pay and display car park near the market place.

The nearest post code is GL8 8JG and the grid reference is ST 890930.

Eleanor · Jun 18, 2020

Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire - The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin

Norman architecture, fan vaulted chantry chapels and impressive monuments....

Tewkesbury’s tall tower dominates the landscape and was described by Pevsner as “probably the largest and finest Romanesque tower in England”. The abbey is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain and is a truly jaw dropping experience.

The building dates from the beginning of the C12th when it was built to house Benedictine monks. Building stone came from Caen and was brought up the River Severn. There were three important families holding the Honour of Tewkesbury in the Middle Ages, the de Clares, Despensers and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. By the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Tewkesbury was one of the richest abbeys in England.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, the possessions of the abbey went to the King’s exchequer, the monastic buildings were pulled down and used for building stone and the church sold to the parishioners for £453, who had used the western part of the nave as their parish church. This was the estimated value of the lead on the roof and the bells. Henry kept the right to appoint the vicar and Queen Elizabeth is still patron of the benefice today.

It is an impressive building from the outside with a splendid central square tower with blind arcading, battlemented top and corner turrets. Remains of earlier roof lines can be seen on the walls. The long nave has tall turrets at the west end, clerestory windows with blind arcading between them and lower side aisles with flying buttresses.

The huge west window is set under a series of recessed Norman arches. There is more blind arcading on the sides of the transepts. The angular chancel has an open carved frieze round the top with lower side chapels round the sides and flying buttresses. The chancel originally had a large Lady Chapel at the east end which was pulled down during the Dissolution. Its foundations are marked by slabs in the grass.

A plan of the interior can be seen here.

Entry is through the large plain north porch with a modern carving of the Virgin and Child above the arch.

Stepping into the NAVE, the first impression is of Norman power with huge round pillars and round arches soaring up to a vaulted ceiling.

The clerestory windows are almost lost in the height of the nave. To say it is impressive is an understatement. This is Norman architecture at its very best. Side aisles are narrow adding to the overall effect of dominance.

They have stained glass windows with C19th glass.

The clerestory and vaulted ceiling were added in the mid C14th and are typical of the decorated style.

The ribs rest on carved heads. The carved and painted bosses have either winged angels or scenes from the life of Christ.There are also carvings of green men.

The original bosses are now displayed round the wall of the side aisles and ambulatory.

At the west end is a lovely arch across the roof with a gilded carvings at the base of Eve and Jesse, forebears of Christ. Each have a carved square with foliage.

At the east end of the nave, the arch rests on the painted head of Atlantis holding up the roof.

Opposite the north door is an octagonal FONT with a dark marble carved top with quatrefoils with a foliage pattern round the sides. There is more foliage below the bowl. It stands on a very old stone base with rounded pillars and ball flowers. Above is a very tall dark wood cover with crocketted pinnacles.

Behind it on the south wall is an impressive Roll of Honour from the 1914-18 war with flags round it.

At the end of the north aisle, under an ogee arch, is a wall tomb of a knight in armour with uncrossed legs. There are also two Victorian cast iron stoves which were both burning and provided an effective heat source if you are close to them.

The pulpit, lectern and rood screen are C19th. The PULPIT is of carved stone and has panels with Christ with his disciples and also Christ preaching. The ROOD SCREEN has trefoil panelled base and delicate tracery at the top. The cross has a carving of Agnus Dei in the centre. On either side are the figures of the Virgin Mary and St John. On the wall by the rood screen is the Royal Coat of Arms.

Continued...

Eleanor · Jun 18, 2020

Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire - The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin continued....

A carved rood screen separates the choir from the nave.

The CHOIR is under the tower and has a modern encaustic tile floor. A brass plate in the floor marks the burial place of Edward Prince of Wales, son of Henry VI who was slain in the Battle of Shrewsbury. The lierne vaulted ceiling has gilded bosses on a red background with the Sun in Splendour on the centre. The stained glass in the windows is mid C14th and given by Eleanor de Clare, wife of Hugh Dispenser. The choir stalls have carved misericords. On the south wall is the Milton Organ, which is one of the oldest organs still in use. It was originally built for Magdalene College Oxford in 1631 but was bought by the people of Tewkesbury in the C18th.

Steps lead up to the SANCTUARY which has chantry chapels round it and brass tablets marking the graves of de Clares and Despensers. There is a simple altar rail and table with a silver cross and tall silver candlesticks. Behind the altar are gold hangings.

On the south side is a three seater sedilia, with the remains of wall paintings on the back.

An open carved stone screen separates the sanctuary from the ambulatory with small chapels off it. The sanctuary ceiling has blue and red patterns painted on it. Bosses are gilded on a red background.

There are three small chantry chapels off the north wall of the sanctuary; the Warwick chapel, the founder's chapel and the canopied tomb of Hugh Lord Despenser and his wife Elizabeth Montague, with their alabaster effigies.

The FOUNDER'S CHAPEL contains the body of Robert Fitz-Hamon, second cousin of William the Conqueror and founder of the church. He was originally buried in the monk’s chapter house, but transferred here in 1241. It has a fairly plain stone screen round it with the remains of paint on it and a fan vaulted ceiling. This may have served as an Easter Sepulchre.

The WARWICK CHAPEL is the most magnificent and erected by Isabella la Despenser for her first husband Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Worcester. This has a beautifully carved screen with angels holding shields on the base panels, set under crocketted pinnacles. The canopy has a fan vaulted ceiling which still has the remains of paint on it. It has an extra half storey inside which once contained the kneeling figures of Isabella and her second husband, Richard Earl of Warwick. There is a small stone altar and old tiles on the floor.

On the south wall is the TRINITY CHAPEL, chantry chapel of Edward le Dispenser d1375 erected by his widow. He held command under the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers. This is surrounded by a beautiful open carved screen with pinnacled arches on the base and carved arches above. It is set under a crocketted canopy with fan vaulting underneath.

Above, set in a crocketted and pinnacled arch is the painted figure of a kneeling Edward praying. This is best seen from the ambulatory on the far side of the choir by the Founder's or Warwick Chapels. The attitude and position of the kneeling figure are unique and it is possibly one of the finest monuments of its type in existence.

There is a small altar at the east end of the Trinity Chapel.

High on the wall above is a beautiful mural of the Holy Trinity with God the Father holding the body of the crucified Christ with an angel on either side. The small figures at the edges are Lord Edward and his wife Anne.

Moving out into the ambulatory and walking round clockwise, in the north transept is a Mitchell and Thynne organ presented to the church as a memorial of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It is occasionally used for concerts, although it needs a thorough restoration.

The first chapel is the CHAPEL OF ST JAMES, which is now the abbey shop. The large painted reredos on the back wall used to be behind the high altar. In the centre is Christ on the cross with apostles on either side. The left panel shows the Annunciation. The right panel shows the Nativity. Near the shop is an old strong box opened to show its complex locking mechanism under the lid.

Next is ST MARGARET’S CHAPEL which contains the holy sacrament. On the wall is a statue of a ‘pelican in her piety’, pecking her breast to feed her young on her blood. Between the chapel and the ambulatory is the tomb of Sir Guy de Brien d 1390. He was standard bearer to Edward III at the Battle of Crecy and one of the earliest Knights of the Garter. He was the third husband of Elizabeth Montacute, who is buried with her second husband Hugh Despenser in the tomb on the north side of the sanctuary. Sir Guy is in full armour, with his feet resting on a lion. Round the base of the tomb are shields.

ST EDMUND’S CHAPEL has a small modern reredos of Christ preaching. The ceiling bosses show his martyrdom by the Danes in the 9thC.

Next to it is ST DUNSTAN’S CHAPEL. The reredos above the small altar is a reproduction of a 15thC Flemish painting showing the Passion of Christ.

On the right is the WAKEMAN CENOTAPH under an elaborate canopy with a cadaver effigy lying on an open shroud. He was the last Abbot of Tewkesbury.

Behind the high altar, the iron grating in the floor covers the stairway down to the CLARENCE VAULT containing the bodies of George, Duke of Clarence (brother of Edward IV who was murdered in the Tower of London, reputedly by being drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine) and his wife Isabel, daughter of Warwick the 'King Maker'.

Near it is the modern statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace.

Continuing round, on the outer wall by St Faith's Chapel is the ROBESON CENOTAPH. Archdeacon Robeson was vicar from 1877-92 during the great Victorian restoration of the abbey. He is in fact, buried in Bristol Cathedral. St FAITH'S CHAPEL has a modern altar and a big chest to store ecclesiastical copes.

Next is the CHAPEL OF ST CATHERINE AND ST JOHN THE BAPTIST with two glorious windows by Tom Denny to mark the 900th anniversary of the coming of the Benedictine monks to Tewkesbury in 1102. Their theme is the Benedictine motto 'Labore est Orare'. They are abstract designs predominately in shades of yellow, green and blues. The overall impression is colour but the more you look, the more detail you realise there is. On the wall is the tomb of Abbot Cheltenham who ruled here between 1481-1509.

Opposite this chapel on the south wall of the sanctuary is the tomb of Hugh Despenser, favourite of Edward II who was hung, drawn and quartered in Hereford in 1326. The tomb was erected by his wife, Elizabeth. It is set under a low arch with foliage and trefoil arches. They were responsible for adding the chapels round the choir.

The SACRISTY is next. On either side of the door are two tombs of abbots; Abbot Thomas Kempsey d1328 and the tomb of Abbot Alan d1202.

Beyond this is the LADY CHAPEL which comes off the south transept. This has a mosaic image of Christ on the east wall.

This is a marvellous abbey. There is so much to stop and look at. It is redolent of history and is said to contain more medieval monuments than any other church apart from Westminster Abbey. There is a plethora of names from English history. This is Norman architecture at its best with glorious perpendicular chapels adding the icing to the cake.

The abbey is open daily and the closest parking are the two car parks off Gander Lane. The nearest post code is GL20 5RZ and the grid reference is SO 890325.

Eleanor · Jun 20, 2020

Whittington, Gloucestershire - St Bartholomew’s Church

A small church with crusader tombs

Whittington Church is set in the grounds of Whittington Court.

It is a small Norman building with nave, chancel and a small wooden bell cot above the east end of the nave and a stone memorial on the north wall.

Entry is through the north door and down steps. Inside it is equally as simple with arcades of round pillars and arches separating the nave and the south aisle. The nave has a king pin roof and wooden pews.

The end arch of the north arcade has rather a nice carved head.

The chancel has wood panelling round the base of the walls, wood altar and altar rail. In front of the altar rail is a brass of Richard Cotton d1556 who built Whittingham Court and his wife Margaret d1560.

On the chancel wall is a stone carving with three badges set in arches. Two belong to the de Croupes.

There are two crusader tombs in the south aisle, Sir Richard de Croupes d1278 and his son another Sir Richard d1326. Both are wearing surcoats and holding a sword and shield. Their legs are crossed and rest on a lion.

Close by them is an effigy of Lady de Croupes in a long flowing dress and a wimple.

There is a memorial to the dead of both world wars on the south wall of the nave.

The church is open every day and there is parking along the road. The nearest post code is GL54 4HF ‎and the grid reference is SP 013206.

Eleanor · Jun 20, 2020

Widford, Oxfordshire - St Oswald’s Church

A small isolated church that has been described as the most beautiful in the county

This small isolated church is reached by walking across the fields. It is the only survivor of a village which was deserted after the Black Death. It is a lovely setting with views down to the River Windrush and across open grassland with trees, hedges and a few isolated buildings. Overhead, buzzards were calling.

The church has been described as one of the most beautiful country churches in Oxfordshire. It was closed in 1859 and was used as a barn. It was restored in 1904 and is occasionally used for services.

It is a tiny church with nave chancel and bell cote, set in a walled rectangular graveyard. It was built on the site of a Roman building and the guide book refers to the remains of a tessellated floor under the flagstones. No-one is sure when the first church was built, but local legend says the bones of St Oswald rested here overnight while being taken to Gloucester Cathedral for burial.

The present church dates from the C12/13th although the chancel arch, corbels and tub font are earlier than this.

Steps lead down into the church.Inside there are box pews and wall paintings. The double decker pulpit with a small reading desk, may have been made from the base panels of the rood screen. Above the chancel arch are boards with the Ten Commandments.

The altar rails are Jacobean, but the altar table is a modern copy of a Jacobean table given by the Secker Family. They are commemorated by a memorial in the church.

The walls are painted a shade of dirty pink and have the remains of early C14th wallpaintings. Facing the south door is St Christopher, although little remains of the original painting as it was covered by a later Royal Coat of Arms. St Christopher’s staff can be seen but part of a lion masks St Christopher.

The paintings in the chancel have two panels, one above the other. There is little left of the top panel. The north wall of the chancel has the Three Living and the Three Dead with part of another picture above which may be the martyrdom of St Lawrence and possibly also of St Edmund.

The pictures on the south wall of the chancel are more difficult to decipher. On the bottom is St Martin of Tours dividing his cloak with a beggar.

On either side of the east window are pedestals which have lost their statues. These had remains of wall paintings behind them.

The church is open daily. The nearest post code is OX18 4DU and the grid reference is SP 273121. Cars have to be left on a minor road. Walk over the cattle grid and it is a fifteen minute walk across the fields. This can be muddy after a lot of rain which may explain the scraper and sign by the south door “Please leave your mud outside”. Climb up to the churchyard and enter through the small gate. The footpath continues to Swinbrook. On a warm sunny day this is a delightful walk.

The church guide, with a lot more pictures, can be downloaded here.

Eleanor · Jun 20, 2020

Winchcombe, Gloucestershire - St Peter’s Church

A very large but rather characterless church with a nice embroidered altar cloth

Winchcombe is a pleasant small market town of timber frame and stone buildings, with a good range of shops. The church is on the main road through the town and set in a big graveyard. There had been an abbey on this site since the C8th, which was one of the richest in the area. The church was built in the C15th and is a typical example of a Perpendicular church. The chancel was built by the Abbot of Winchcombe Abbey for use by the abbey. The townsfolk built the nave for their use. Nothing is now left of the Abbey, apart from a few relics inside the church.

It is a big church with square tower at the west end and wide nave with clerestory windows. All the tops are battlemented and decorated with crocketted pinnacles. The gargoyles are a mix of demonic creatures and local bigwigs. One with a top hat is thought to be the inspiration for the Mad Hatter in 'Alice in Wonderland’. To the left of the porch is Sir Ralph Boteler of Sudeley Castle, who gave money for building the church.

Entry is through the south porch with a vaulted ceiling. Old wooden doors lead into the church. Above the doorway is the Royal Coat of Arms.

Inside it feels a large church. Octagonal pillars and low pointed arches separate nave and side aisles. The wood panelled ceiling is supported in the chancel by carved stone corbels of angels playing musical instruments. Hanging from the nave ceiling is an impressive chandelier.

There is no chancel arch. Instead across the top of the church is an open carved wooden screen supported by two stone angels. There is a carved stone pulpit.

It is an attractive chancel with carved parclose screens separating chapels on either side. The north now contains the organ. The south has a small altar. The three panels of stained glass in the window have scenes of the disciples asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ carrying his cross on the way to Calvary and the empty tomb.

The stone reredos behind the altar has a carving of Christ preaching in the centre. The C19th east window is a representation of Christ stilling the storm in a fishing boat with his disciples.

On the south wall is a beautifully carved three seater sedillia and piscina.

On the north wall is a monument to Thomas Williams d1636 with dark marble pillars supporting a portico with red roses and coats of arms at the top. He is kneeling in full armour, picked out in gold. The space opposite him was for his wife, but she survived him, married again and wanted to be buried with her second husband.

At the back of the north aisle protected by a curtain, is the former altar cloth, in use until 1872. It was made from the embroidered panels of saints and benefactors from C15th priest’s copes. The figures were laid on their side to make sure they wouldn’t be revered and upset Protestant feelings.

Near it hanging on the wall is the C15th carved wooden door from Winchcombe Abbey. By it are examples of medieval floor tiles from the abbey.

Across the back of the west end is the medieval rood screen. The base of the tower is blocked by a stone screen. In front of it are stone figures of King Keluph who built the original monastery and also of Henry VI. Kenulf’s sarcophagus is at the back of the south aisle.

The church is open everyday. The road is very busy and the best place to park is a short walk down the road in the market place. The nearest post code is GL54 5LU. and the grid reference is SP 023282.

Eleanor · Jun 20, 2020

Windrush, Gloucestershiore - St Peter’s Church

A small church with a splendid Norman doorway

Windrush is a small ex-quarrying village built around a village green. The church is set above the street and surrounded by a wall with the war memorial listing names of the dead from the 1914-18 war.

The church dates from the C12th and has a small battlemented tower at the west end and a variety of roof lines.

It has a lovely Norman south door with two rows of round arches decorated with carved bird beaks. The door still has its large old iron hinges and old lock.

On the outside of the door jam is a mass sundial. This was used by the iliterate congregation to tell the time of services.

Steps lead down into the church. An arcade of round pillars and pointed arches separate the very narrow south aisle from the nave. There are lovely carved ram’s heads at the base of the arches. Walls are plaster and there is a king post wooden roof.

On the back of the west wall, beneath the tower, are boards with the Ten Commandments.

In the south aisle is an octagonal font with carved flowers round the bowl. On the floor are old tombstones.

The wooden pulpit is Jacobean.

The pointed chancel arch has small round pillars (which lean) carved with a spiral pattern and carved capitals. The chancel has bench stalls and a sedilia and piscina on the south wall. The altar has a scarlet curtain round three sides. The chancel floor is covered with encaustic tiles.

The church is open all day and there is on street parking outside. The nearest post code is OX18 4TS
and the grid reference is SP 193130.

Cotswolds Cotswold Churches

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