St Peter ad Vincula, South Newington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter ad Vincula, South Newington |
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| Parish Church of Saint Peter ad Vincula, South Newington | |
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| 52°0′10.8″N 1°23′24″W / 52.003000°N 1.39000°W | |
| Location | South Newington, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 4JF |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Peter ad Vincula |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Norman, Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Saint Peter ad Vincula, South Newington |
| Deanery | Banbury |
| Archdeaconry | Oxford |
| Diocese | Oxford |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Parish Church of Saint Peter ad Vincula, South Newington is a special church in the village of South Newington. This village is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. It is a Church of England parish church.
The church has a unique name: "St Peter ad Vincula." This means "St Peter in Chains." It is named after a famous church in Rome, Italy. Only 15 churches in England have this dedication.
Contents
Discovering the Church Building
The church building has a long history. It shows different styles of architecture. These styles changed over many centuries.
Early Norman Design
The church started as a Norman building. This was in the late Norman period. It had a main area called a nave. This nave had two sections. There was also a north aisle and a chancel. The chancel is the part of the church near the altar.
You can still see parts from this early time. Two Norman arches connect the nave to the north aisle.
Changes in the Gothic Style
Around the late 1200s, the church became bigger. This was done in a Decorated Gothic style. The nave was made longer. It gained an extra section on each side. The old Norman chancel became part of the nave.
A new chancel was built further east. A south aisle was added too. A tall tower was also built at the west end. All these additions were made in the same period.
In the late 1400s, more changes happened. A clerestory was added. This is a row of windows above the main part of the church. An fancy south porch was also built.
The Church Bells and Clock
The church tower had a clock by the year 1560. The clock you see today is older. It was made in 1741 by Joseph Hemmins. He was a clockmaker from Banbury. This clock used to be at St Mary's Church, Banbury. It was moved to St Peter ad Vincula in 1895.
The tower also had several bells by the 1500s. Now, it has a ring of five bells. These bells are used for change ringing. The oldest bell was made in 1656. It was cast by Richard Keene in Woodstock. Another bell was cast in 1733 by Henry III Bagley. The other three bells were made in 1861 by George Mears. He worked at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
The church is very important. It has been a Grade I listed building since December 1955. This means it is a building of special historical interest.
Amazing Wall Paintings
Around 1330 to 1340, beautiful wall paintings were created. They are in the north aisle of the church. These paintings were made using oil on plaster. This was an unusual method for medieval wall paintings.
Experts say these paintings are very special. One expert, Professor Ernest Tristram, called them "of a nature seldom found in a parish church." Others believe they are the "finest group of medieval wall paintings in [Oxfordshire]."
One writer said the paintings are amazing. They praised the artist's skill. The artist used many colors and blended them well. Nothing else in the area compares to their quality.
Stories in the Paintings
The paintings in the north aisle show different stories. One painting shows the murder of St Thomas Becket. It is a very detailed picture, though it is a bit damaged.
Next to it is a rare painting. It shows the execution of Thomas Plantagenet, Earl of Lancaster.
The east end of the north aisle is a Lady Chapel. This chapel has its own wall paintings. They include an Annunciation. This painting shows the angel Gabriel visiting Mary. There is also a beautiful painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.
Next to the Virgin and Child painting is one of St James. He is shown receiving a gift. Near the east window of the Lady Chapel is a painting of St Margaret the Virgin. She is shown fighting a dragon.
Who Commissioned the Art?
The paintings include St Margaret and two St Thomases. Also, the Giffard coat of arms appears in some paintings. This suggests that Thomas Giffard paid for them. He was a lord of one of the manors in South Newington. His wife, Margaret Mortayne, might also have been involved.
Above the chancel arch, there are small pieces of a Doom painting. This type of painting shows the Last Judgment. It is from the same time period. However, not much of it has survived.
Later, in the late 1400s or early 1500s, more paintings were added. These were painted in the nave. They are above the arches to the north aisle. This set of paintings shows the Passion Cycle. This tells the story of Jesus's last days.
These later paintings are not as detailed as the earlier ones. But they are still interesting. Some of them show scenes not often seen in other Passion cycles.
Rediscovering the Art
All the paintings in St Peter ad Vincula were hidden. They were covered with whitewash for hundreds of years. The paintings in the north aisle were found in 1893. The Doom painting over the chancel arch was also uncovered then. The Passion cycle in the nave was found later, in 1931.
The Church's History and Purpose
St Peter ad Vincula church was given to the Benedictine abbey at Eynsham. This happened in the 1160s. The church remained part of the abbey's property. This continued until the abbey was closed in 1538. This was during the dissolution of the monasteries.
In 1565, the right to choose the church's priest was given to Exeter College, Oxford. The college kept this right until 1979. Today, St Peter ad Vincula is part of a larger group of churches. It shares a Church of England benefice with the parishes of Bloxham and Milcombe.
Images for kids
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Wall painting of St Margaret the Virgin, 1330s
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Detail of wall painting of Martydom of St Thomas Becket
