THREE OXFORDSHIRE LOVELIES II

THREE OXFORDSHIRE LOVELIES II

May 2019

Big bold and beside the Thames

ST HELEN, ABINGDON is a whopping as far as parish churches go, right on the River Thames with all the confidence that the town once had as a trading post for river traffic and agriculture. 

St Helen Abingdon

The church boasts five aisles in its nave. The Lady Chapel’s painted ceiling is a gem (1391) the colours and costumes are from a time when England was at peace and wealthy.

Just down a lane next to the school 

ST JAMES RADLEY is tucked away from the main road and the sounds of the school yard drifts across a churchyard strewn with wild flowers and guarded by stocky yew trees. 

St James  Radley

This is a special church as the arcade between nave and south aisle is constructed from complete trees, their trunks darkened with age.  In its customary place, near the entrance is a charming, daintily worked Norman font.


Big Norman in Iffley

ST MARY 

St Mary Iffley

Simon Jenkins* describes this wonderful place and “chunky, barbaric” certainly it has all the swagger of late Norman building with some Transitional work and early English starting to show.  *England’s 1000 Best Churches

Lionel Wall’s website GREAT ENGLISH CHURCHES http://www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/iffley.htmlcaptures the loveliness of the south door ‘the south door is a joy to behold, with every conceivable figure of fantasy and legend. Fortunately there was once a porch here, which has preserved the carvings in all their glory’.

I’d recommend a visit to Lionel's website when planning a churching expedition.