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St Mary

West Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Early C13, extended C14, altered C15, restored 1859 by Diocesan Architect G E Street who virtually rebuilt the chancel

Architectural Features

the tower is early-mid C13 and carried a heavy stone spire which has crude ball-capped pinnacles on shallow broaching, gabled lucarnes to cardinal faces capped by grotesques carrying crosses and which is finished off by a copper ball below the weathervane

The west doorway has developed C13 mouldings and ornament including the floral caps of nook shafts but retains chevron, here heavily undercut

The tower is flanked by lean-tos thought to represent C12 clasping aisles, the north one has a cusped arch doorway and is archaeologically more convincing than the south one which has been heavily bricked up

North aisle has transitional Decorated - Perpendicular style tracery of late C14, more straight forwardly rectilinear tracery to clerestory and south side, east window large and with geometrical tracery (by Street), C14 moulded doorways to south porch and to south (Reade) chapel

The 2-storey south porch has niches flanking the chamber window containing quite good (if defaced) sculpture of mid C14 date: left-hand a single figure, thought to be St John, right-hand crocket- ted canopy over an elegant Annunication

Photo coming soon