Abingdon : St Helen

A large and unusual church, situated beautifully beside the river. This church contains a magnificent Lady Chapel, built in the mid c13.

About this church

Parts of tower and east wall of two north aisles date from C12/13th. The nave, chancel and inner south aisle were built in C15, the outer south aisle in C16

Unusually the Tower stands at the northeast corner. The Early English north doorway includes shafts and stiff leaf capitals. The spire is C15 but it was subsequently rebuilt in C17 and C19.

Chancel and Lady Chapel is contained within the almost square body of the church. The piers and capitals are closely related to those found in several other Oxfordshire “wool” churches including Church Hanborough, Chipping Campden and Northleach.

The organ case made by master organ builders Abraham Jordan in 1726.

In the Lady Chaple the wonderful painted ceiling of c1390 depicts a gallery of figures forming a Tree of Jesse. The figures are arranged in pairs and are caught mid-actions in a series of conversations

The spire of the church dominates the skyline of the town. The church dates from the 13th century, with major remodelling in the 15th and 16th centuries.[3] It was also updated in the Victorian era.[4] Of particular note within the church are the painted ceiling panels of the north aisle, dating from about 1390 and representing the Tree of Jesse.[5]

Within the churchyard are three sets of almshouses: Long Alley Almshouses (built 1446), Twitty’s Almshouses (1707) and Brick Alley Almshouses (1718)

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