St Frideswide's Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Frideswide's Church |
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| The Parish Church of St Frideswide | |
View of the church from the east
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | osneybenefice.org.uk |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 10 April 1872 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Sanders Teulon |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1870–2 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Oxford |
St Frideswide's Church is a special church in Oxford, England. It's part of the Church of England and can be found on the south side of Botley Road in an area called New Osney. This church is a really old and important building in its community.
Contents
History of St Frideswide's Church
This church is named after St Frideswide, who is the patron saint of Oxford. A patron saint is like a special protector for a place.
Building the Church
The church was designed by a famous architect named Samuel Sanders Teulon. He was known for his Gothic Revival style, which means he designed buildings to look like the grand churches from the Middle Ages. The church was built by a local company called Honour & Castle.
Work on the church began in 1870 when the first stone was laid. It was officially opened on April 10, 1872. The opening ceremony was led by John Mackarness, who was the Bishop of Oxford at the time. The original plan for the church included a tall, pointy tower called a spire, but this was never built.
The Alice Door
Inside the church, you can find a very special door called the "Alice Door." This door was carved by Alice Liddell. She was the daughter of Henry Liddell, who was the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Alice Liddell became famous because she was the inspiration for the main character in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll.
A Church in Stories
Right next to the church is a small waterway called Osney Ditch. St Frideswide's Church was also featured in a detective story! It was the setting for a mystery novel called Service of All the Dead by the author Colin Dexter, which is part of the popular Inspector Morse series.
St Frideswide's Today
Today, St Frideswide's Church follows the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England. This means it has a style of worship that includes many older, traditional practices, similar to some Catholic churches, but it is still part of the Church of England.
Gallery
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View of the church from the south.
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View from the northeast.
See also
