St Mary's Church, Bloxham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's, Bloxham |
|
|---|---|
| Our Lady of Bloxham | |
St Mary's steeple
|
|
 St Mary's, Bloxham
Location in Oxfordshire
|
|
| 52°01′04″N 1°22′29″W / 52.0179°N 1.3747°W | |
| Location | Bloxham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Architect(s) | Original unknown Richard Winchcombe GE Street |
| Style | English Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | ironstone rubble |
| Bells | 8 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bloxham |
| Archdeaconry | Dorchester |
| Diocese | Oxford |
| Province | Canterbury |
The church of Our Lady of Bloxham, often called St Mary's Bloxham, is a historic Church of England parish church in Bloxham, Oxfordshire. It is famous for its tall tower and spire from the 14th century, which is the highest in Oxfordshire. This church is unusually big for a local parish church. One expert, Jennifer Sherwood, even called it "one of the grandest churches in the country." It is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historic building.
A Look at the Church Building
The first mention of a church in Bloxham dates back to the year 1067. At that time, William the Conqueror gave it to Westminster Abbey. However, the oldest parts of the church you see today are small pieces of stone from the 12th century. These include parts of two doorways and the start of the chancel arch.
The archways inside the church were built in the 13th century when the original nave (the main part of the church) was rebuilt. But most of the church we see now was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel (the area around the altar) and the side aisles were rebuilt in the early 14th century. The north and south porches were also rebuilt then. During this time, the church was decorated with beautiful stone carvings. These included fancy window designs called tracery and detailed tops of columns called capitals. Many of these carvings are still there today. It's thought that skilled stone carvers, who also worked on nearby churches like Adderbury and Hanwell, created these designs. The tall tower was likely built between 1300 and 1340.
Inside the church, you can still see small pieces of old Mediaeval wall paintings. One is a "Doom painting" above the chancel arch, which shows the Last Judgment. Another painting of Saint Christopher is over the north doorway. Some windows still have parts of their original 14th-century stained glass. The church also has a very detailed wooden screen, called a rood screen, which was made in the 15th century.
In the 15th century, a new part called the Milcombe chapel was added. This chapel has a style called Perpendicular Gothic. We don't know for sure who designed it, but it was probably Richard Winchcombe. The chapel has some monuments from the 18th century and a tomb.
From 1864 to 1866, the church was repaired and updated by a famous architect named GE Street. He worked in the Gothic Revival style, which brought back older church designs. Street made sure the spire was stable. He also designed the pulpit (where sermons are given), the choir stalls, and the reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar). Later, in 1868, Edward Burne-Jones made a stained glass window of St Christopher for the chancel. In 1869, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, and Philip Webb created the beautiful east window.
In 2018, the church decided to remove some old wooden benches (pews) to create a play area for children. They later had to get official permission for this change. Four of the removed pews were eventually returned to the church.
The Church Bells
The church tower has a set of eight bells that can be rung together. The fifth bell was made around 1570. The largest bell, called the tenor bell, was cast in 1648. Another bell was made in 1750. The other four bells were cast in 1903. These bells are special because they are the heaviest set of change-ringing bells in the world that are rung from the ground floor inside the church.
The church also has two smaller bells. One is a Sanctus bell from about 1599, and the other is a service bell from about 1899.
Who Owned and Used the Church?
In 1067, William of Normandy gave the church and its land to Westminster Abbey. Later, in the 12th century, King Henry II gave control of the church to Godstow Abbey. This caused a disagreement with Westminster Abbey, but the Pope allowed Godstow to keep the church as long as they paid Westminster Abbey every year.
When King Henry VIII closed down the monasteries in the 1530s, the ownership of Bloxham parish church went to the King. In 1547, he gave it to Eton College.
The church has a large graveyard, which has been made bigger several times over the years.
Local schools in Bloxham use the church for their annual Christmas services. Today, St Mary's is the main church for the area, which also includes the villages of Milcombe and South Newington.
