St. Mary's Church, Chalgrove
St. Mary's Church in Chalgrove dates chiefly from the 12th to 15th centuries, and was sympathetically restored in 1881–4 by Joseph Morris and S.S. Stallwood of Reading. Built of coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, it comprises a two-bay chancel, a four-bay doubleaisled nave with south porch, and a three-stage west tower, whose top part was reconstructed following a partial collapse in 1726. The nave's and chancel's steep tiled roofs probably retain their original pitch. High-quality early 14th-century work in the chancel, including a celebrated cycle of wall paintings, probably reflects patronage by well-connected local lords, particularly the Barentins. The nave may contain mid 12th-century stonework, but the earliest dateable fabric is a doorway of c.1190 in the base of the tower, and the contemporary south arcade, its Transitional arches (with a single roll-moulding and continuous hood) resting on round piers with square bases and waterleaf capitals. A half bay at the eastern end was probably shortened when the present chancel was built. The north arcade was added c.1240, making it roughly contemporary with new building at the Plessis and Barentin manor houses, and includes three single-chamfered arches on round piers, one with a moulded capital and the other carved with stiff-leaf. Its east end, extending alongside the chancel, includes a 13th-century aumbry and a later squint, giving a view of the high altar. A piscina and credence of similar date survive at the south aisle's east end. The chancel was rebuilt and extended c.1310–30, possibly by Thame abbey as corporate rector. Its lavish decoration, however, probably reflects patronage by Sir Drew Barentin (d. 1329), whose successors until 1474 were buried and commemorated there. The three-light east window has reticulated tracery, and the piscina and three-seat sedilia (under four cusped ogee arches) are of high quality, possibly by royal craftsmen. The wall paintings (Plate 14) are contemporary, and form one of the most complete cycles in the country. Arranged in three tiers and depicted in red and yellow ochre and lamp-black mixed with white, they show scenes from the life of Christ and the death and Assumption of the Virgin. The north wall includes a Tree of Jesse and portrays Christ's birth and Passion, the narrative culminating on the east wall with the Resurrection and Ascension. On the south wall opposite the Jesse Tree is a Last Judgement, followed by the death and burial of the Virgin, and concluded on the east wall with her Assumption and Coronation. The focus suggests that the feast of the Assumption (15 August) was the church's patronal festival from the Middle Ages, while in their progression from west to east the paintings provided a theatrical backdrop to the liturgy The scheme was probably extended through painted glass. Around 1450 the north aisle was remodelled and decorated with wall paintings, probably for Sir Drew Barentin (d. 1453), who left ornaments from his private oratory to 'the chapel newly repaired in Chalgrove church, on the north side'. Painted glass depicting two angel heads is probably contemporary, other mid-to-late 15th-century work including the south porch, the south aisle's crenellated parapet, and liturgical texts added to the chancel wall paintings. The chancel's disrepair by the 1520S-30S may reflect the Barentins' departure or neglect by Thame abbey, but parishioners' continued to invest in the fabric and in St Catherine's altar, which stood possibly at the south aisle's east end. The rood loft and altars were presumably removed and the paintings whitewashed in the 1540s-50s. Later furnishings include the cup-shaped octagonal font with a twisted stem, previously dated to c.1660, but recently claimed to include 16th-century heraldry and to have perhaps been recut from an earlier bowl. The communion rail and polygonal oak pulpit are 17th-century, and the church clock (perhaps by a local clockmaker) is dated 1699. The tower was partly blown down in 1726, and repaired by the Little Milton mason Richard Belcher; 14th-century bell-openings were retained, though the crenellated parapet and pinnacles and a round second-stage window were new additions. Two bells broken in the fall were recast in 1729. Routine repairs were ordered in 1758, the clock was repaired in 1801, and further work was carried out c.1841–4, possibly by the architect Thomas Rickman. A singers' gallery was mentioned in 1841, a harmonium installed in the 1860s, and in 1858 the whitewash was removed from the chancel, revealing the wall paintings. By the 1870s the church was in decay, and by 1881 it was unsafe, the north arcade falling outwards and the roofs dilapidated. The architects Morris and Stallwood estimated costs of £1,500 to restore the fabric, and another £500 to reseat the nave and aisles. Work was completed in 1884, restoration of the nave's arch-braced roof involving removal of earlier dormer windows. The chancel screen was removed in 1906, a pipe organ installed in 1931, and electricity supplied in 1950, while in 1956 the vestry was moved from the north aisle to the south aisle's west end. Its panelling dates probably from the 18th century, and is inscribed with the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments. A side chapel (dedicated to St James after the demolished church at Warpsgrove) replaced the former vestry at the north aisles east end. Improvements to heating and lighting were carried out in 1967, and in 1974 iron gates were fitted to the porch to prevent vandalism. From the 1980s the church was subject to regular repairs including conservation of the wall paintings, the work financed by the church estate, the PCC, and external grants. Projects included restoration of the clock in 1995, reroofing of nave and aisles in 2002, installing toilets at the base of the tower in 2006–7, and rehanging the bells in 2010, followed by a major restoration in 2015. The churchyard was extended in 1898 and 1997. Historical information about St. Mary's Church is provided by 'Chalgrove', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 18, ed. Simon Townley (Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2016), pp. 122-157. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol18/pp122-157 [accessed 16 March 2023]. St. Mary's Church is a Grade I listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST MARY, Chalgrove - 1284879 | Historic England For more information about St. Mary's Church see Chalgrove | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk). |
