St Mary's Church, Newnham Murren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Newnham Murren |
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St Mary's Church, Newnham Murren, from the northeast
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| OS grid reference | SU 610 885 |
| Location | Newnham Murren, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 9 February 1959 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint with stone dressings Tiled roofs |
St Mary's Church is a very old Anglican church in a small village called Newnham Murren, in Oxfordshire, England. It's not used for regular church services anymore. This means it's a "redundant church."
This special building is protected as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's very important and needs to be looked after. The church is cared for by a group called the Churches Conservation Trust. You can find it at the end of a farm path, with a nice view of the River Thames. It's also close to a long walking trail called The Ridgeway.
History of the Church
This church is very old! It was first built way back in the 1100s. More parts were added and changed in the 1200s. In 1849, the church was "restored." This means it was repaired and updated. During the 1800s, a porch was added to the front. A small bell tower, called a bellcote, was also built.
The church stopped being used for regular services on January 23, 1973. Then, on May 21, 1974, it was given to the Churches Conservation Trust. This group now looks after the church. If you want to visit, you can usually find someone nearby who has the key.
What the Church Looks Like
St Mary's Church is built from flint stones. It has special stone pieces, called dressings, around the windows and doors. The roof is made of tiles. The church has a main area called a nave. It also has a smaller section on the south side, called an aisle. There's a special area at the front for the altar, called a chancel. On the north side, there is a porch where you enter.
At the back of the nave, on the roof, there's a small bellcote. The porch is made of wood, like a timber-framed house, and sits on a flint base. It has a tiled roof. The main doorway is in a style called Norman, which is very old.
Next to the porch, there's a tall, narrow window called a lancet window. There are two more lancet windows on the north wall of the chancel. You can also see similar windows on the south wall. The large window at the very front of the church was added in the 1800s. It has three sections and decorative stone patterns.
Inside the Church
Inside, the walls of the church are painted white with a special lime paint. The windows have beautiful stained glass. The roof inside the church is very old, dating back to the medieval period. The arch that separates the nave from the chancel is also in the Norman style. To the right of this arch, there's a small opening called a squint. This allowed people to see the altar from the aisle.
In the chancel, there's a special basin called a piscina built into the south wall. It was used for washing sacred items. On the north wall, there's a double aumbry. This was a cupboard for storing church items. When the church was restored in 1849, many of the old things inside were removed. However, a Jacobean pulpit (where the priest gives sermons) and a communion table are still there. On the wall of the aisle, you can see a special metal plaque called a monumental brass. It dates from the 1500s.
See also
