All Saints Church, Shirburn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Shirburn |
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All Saints' Church, Shirburn, from the south
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| OS grid reference | SU 696 959 |
| Location | Shirburn, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 18 July 1963 |
| Architect(s) | T. H. Wyatt (1876 restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic, Georgian, Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1876 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Rendered chalk and flint Brick north transept Tiled roofs |
All Saints' Church is a historic church in Shirburn, Oxfordshire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant church." Instead, it is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust, a charity that looks after old churches. This church is a very important building, listed as Grade II, meaning it has special historical or architectural value. You can find it at the west end of the village, right next to Shirburn Castle. The castle has been the home of the Earls of Macclesfield since 1715. The north part of the church has a special area that serves as a burial place for the Parker family, who are the Earls of Macclesfield.
The Church's Long History
All Saints' Church is very old, first built in the late 1000s or early 1100s. Over the years, new parts were added and changes were made, especially in the 1200s and 1300s. More changes happened in the 1700s when the top part of the tower was added. In the early 1800s, a north transept (a part of the church that sticks out like an arm) was built. This was used as a private seating area for the Earl of Macclesfield's family.
In 1876, the church was largely rebuilt and repaired by an architect named T. H. Wyatt. This kind of big repair and redesign is often called a "Victorian restoration." The church stopped being used for regular services in 1995 and was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust to look after.
You might even recognize the church from TV! In 2011, it was used as a filming location for the popular television series Midsomer Murders.
What the Church Looks Like
Most of All Saints' Church is built from chalk and flint stones, covered with a smooth plaster-like material called stucco. The north transept, however, is made of brick. All the roofs are covered with tiles. The church has a cross-shaped plan.
It has a main central area called the nave, with smaller sections on either side called north and south aisles. There are also north and south transepts, which are the "arms" of the cross shape. The church has a south porch for entry and a chancel (the area around the altar) with a room for the organ and a vestry (a room for clergy robes) to its north. At the west end, there's a tower.
To the south of the tower, you'll find a round staircase built in the 1800s. On the north side of the tower, there's a window with two lights (sections), which is probably from the Norman period (around 1066-1200). The very top part of the tower was added later, in the Georgian style (1714-1830).
Above an old medieval window in the tower, there's a special stone carving called a tympanum. It's decorated with a figure-of-eight pattern and was put there during the 1876 restoration. Inside the tower, in a similar spot, there's another re-set stone carving called a lintel. This one is decorated with stars, animal heads, and plants. The windows all around the church show different styles, dating from the 1100s all the way to the 1800s.
Inside the church, you'll see two sets of arches, called arcades, from the 1200s. These separate the nave from the aisles. There's also another arcade between the chancel and the north chapel. In the chancel and the transepts, you can find memorials to important families, including the Chamberlain and Macclesfield families.
The south transept has a piscina, which is a stone basin with a drain, used for washing sacred vessels. In the nave, there's a font from the 1200s, where baptisms take place. Its cover is from the 1700s. The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made by a company called Ward and Hughes. The organ in the church, which has one manual (keyboard), was built in the 1880s by Gray and Davison.
See Also
