Church of St Mary Chalgrove, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

CHALGROVE SU6396 11/32 Church of St. Mary 18/07/63

GV I

Church. Early C13, early C14 chancel: C15 and C18 alterations. Coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings; late C19 and C20 gabled tile roof. Chancel, aisled nave, west tower. Chancel has offset buttresses, 3-light Decorated east window and 2-light windows in 2-bay side walls: south wall also has central pointed moulded priest's door, and C16 chamfered light. 3-bay north aisle has late C15 three-light windows, early C14 two-light window in west end and C13 pointed moulded doorway. South aisle, crenellated in late C15, has similar early C14 window in east end, similar late C15 windows and late C15 porch with 4-light wood-mullioned window over 4-centred moulded doorway: early C14 pointed moulded south doorway. 3-stage tower (spire collapsed 1727) has early C13 pointed chamfered doorway to C18 studded door, early C13 two-light window, second-stage C18 round window, and C13 third- stage 2-light Y-tracery windows: C18 crenellated parapet with pinnacles. Interior: chancel has Decorated piscina and sedilia, studded priest's door with early C14 wrought-iron hinges; and plain aumbry and recesses. Complete sequences of fine early C14 wall paintings depict Last Judgement and Life of the Virgin to south, Tree of Jesse and the Life of Christ to north, and, on the east wall, the Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin and the Ascension, Resurrection and Descent into Hell; splays of windows depict figures of the Saints. Brasses to Reginald Barantyn, d.1441, and Hugh Barantyn with wives Joan (d.1446) and Lady Beatrice. Baroque memorial to Rev. Francis Markham, d.1668, has garlanded cartouche with angels supporting coat of arms; early C19 memorial tablet to wife of Rev. John Lewis from Ireland. Late C17 communion rail of barley-sugar balusters at chancel entry. Early C14 chancel arch. Nave has early C13 four-bay south arcade of small pointed arch and roll-moulded Transitional arches on circular piers with water-leaf capitals: early C13 three-bay north arcade has chamfered Transitional arches on circular piers with moulded and foliate capitals. C18 memorial tablet ta Adeane family above Jacobean pulpit. Font of c.1660-70 set on barley-sugar stem. Painted memorial mural to Robert Quatremaine, d.1697. Four-bay arch-braced collar-truss roof with curved windbraces. South aisle has C13 piscina. North aisle has squint to chancel, early C14 wall painting north of east window, slate memorial tablet to Benedict Winchcombe, d. 1623, depicting his family, and 2 boards commemorating local charities. Parish chest dated TK 1674 FG next to north door. Stained glass; 2 similar quarries of angel 5 heads at head of east-bay window of north aisle. The early C14 paintings in the chancel are amoung the best preserved in the country. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, pp.525-6; E.T.Long, Medieval Wall Paintings in Oxfordshire Churches, Oxonensia, Vol. XXXVII, 1972, pp.86-108; E.W. Tristram, English Medieval Wall Paintings (The Fourteenth Century) 1954, pp.153-5; National Monuments Record).

Listing NGR: SU6371496558