At the meeting of Council on 14th February a sum of £204,000 was awarded to 18 churches which represents a further increase in the level of grants given by the Trust. The Trustees intend to maintain this for as long as possible in order to help churches cope with rising building costs and to encourage them to move ahead with their programmes of maintenance and development following the various challenges that face organizations in the present economic climate. The fourth David Booth Award has been made to the church of St Mary Magdalene at Woodstock.
St Mary Magdalene Church, Woodstock (Grade II*) received the largest grant, a David Booth Award, of £50,000 for repairs to the roof.
The church was built in the 12th Century and has been added and altered over the centuries. Originally serving as a chapel of ease to the royal hunting lodge of Woodstock Manor, it is now the main parish church at Woodstock. The only parts of the original chapel of ease to survive are a section on the south nave wall and a beautifully carved round-headed 12th-century doorway set into the south wall. The church has several points of particular interest: a musical clock and a collection of 200 hand-embroidered kneelers
St Barnabas Church, Jericho, Oxford (Grade I) received a grant of £35,000 towards the replacement of its present organ with a reconstruction of the original instrument which was built by an apprentice of ‘Father Willis’. The new instrument will help support the church’s junior choir and choral and organ scholarships. Built in 1869 to an Italianate hall church design by Arthur Blomfield (1829-99) it has always been known as an Oxford Movement church, with its North Wall fresco, a baldachin by Comper (1864-1960) and a domed apse over the High Altar.
St James the Great Church, Stonesfield (Grade II) received a grant of £30,000 for roof and masonry repairs need for which was identified in a recent quinquennial inspection.
The church was built in c.1220, and contains some fine features from that period. The interior maintains much of its heritage but has been much altered over the years. The final alteration was the addition of the North aisle in the 19th century.
St Leonard’s Church, Watlington (Grade II*) received a grant of £17k for the restoration of the church bells.
Rebuilt in 1877 this 14th century church retains its distinctive 15th century West tower. The tower has 8 bells, the earliest is dated 1587.
St James’ Church, Bix, nr Henley on Thames (Grade II) received a grant of £14,000 for the provision of replacement heating.
The existing church was built in 1874 to a design by John Gibson (1817-92) and is built on a site approximately 1.5 miles from the ruined 14th century church which it replaced. It is described as being Gothic revival architecture. Two of the north aisle windows contain sections of late 15th century Flemish stained glass, taken from the old church.
Two churches each received grants of £7,000
St Margaret’s Church, Mapledurham (Grade I) for interior restoration to make good plasterwork damaged by damp.
The present church dates from the late 13th century, with some earlier features, including a Norman font. Attached to the church and located on the south aisle is the Bardolf chapel which serves the (Catholic) Mapledurham Estate.
St Leonard’s Church, Sunningwell (Grade II) for roof and stonework repairs.
A church has stood at the centre of the village since Saxon times. The present building dates mainly from the 15th century, though parts, including the chancel, are earlier. The tower, lately restored, and with a good ring of six bells, is typical for that time. At the top of the tower is an embattled parapet, with pinnacles and gargoyles at the angles.
Two churches each received grants of £5,000
St Mary’s Church, Chalgrove (Grade I) for the installation of a laser projector.
The church largely dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel contains spectacular medieval wall paintings. The paintings date from the years 1319-1340 and form an almost complete set of 44 different paintings, unified around several themes of stories about Christ and the Virgin Mary. They were covered by limewash at the Reformation and only rediscovered in 1858 during restoration work.
St Leonard’s Church, Banbury for the repair and replacement of guttering
The 19th century church is built in the Gothic Revival style and has very colourful painted decoration of its pillars in the nave.
Seven churches each received a grant of £3,000
St John the Baptist, Fifield (Grade II*) for replacement flooring
This small early 13th-century church has an unusual octagonal tower which was added in the 14th century. The nave was partly rebuilt in 1840 and the North vestry added in 1897 by T Colcutt (1840-1924) one of the most important late-Victorian and Edwardian architects.
St James the Great, Fulbrook (Grade II*) for the installation of under pew and wall heating
The church is Norman with traces of earlier Saxon work. The North aisle was added in the 12th century and the porch in the late 13th century. It is considered an architectural gem which largely escaped the Victorian restorers.
St John the Baptist, Hornton (Grade I) for restoration of the church clock
The church was originally built in the late 12th-century, and comprised a chancel, nave and a North aisle. It now has a largely 14th-century exterior, resulting from the rebuilding and alterations of the next two centuries. The church interior is well known for its wall paintings, but it also has several remaining Romanesque features:
Woodstock Methodist Church for stonework restoration
Built at the turn of the century the current church replaced the Olivet chapel (c.1868) which closed in 1932.
Holy Trinity, Sibford Gower (Grade II) for roof and gutter repairs
The church was built in 1840 to a cruciform plan in the Early English style by H.J. Underwood (1804-52).
SS Simon and Jude Church, Milton-under-Wychwood (Grade II) for electrical repairs
Built in 1854 the church was designed by the architect, George Edmund Street (1824 – 1881). The church has been little altered over the years and includes the original organ with its decorated organ pipes.
St Martin’s Church, Shutford (Grade II) for remedial electrical works.
The parish church of St. Martin’s dates from the 12th Century. It has a number of features of interest, including a late Norman nave arcade with round pillars and scalloped capitals, a good example of a 15th Century oak screen, and incised crosses on the South doorway. These are believed to have been carved during the Middle Ages by pilgrims en-route to Santiago De Compostella in northwest Spain.
Additionally, Council was able to award supplementary grants to previously approved projects, due either to increased costs of work or associated issues such as delays from the pandemic.
All Saints Church, Great Bourton (Grade II*) £3,000 for repairs to the lychgate and bell tower.
Originally 13th century, but almost entirely rebuilt in 1863 in the Gothic Revival style by William White (1825-1900). The original chancel was incorporated in the new building.
St Peter’s Church, Alvescot (Grade II*) £10,000 or urgent roof repairs.
The small 13th century cruciform church has been much altered over the centuries and in 1872 the chancel was rebuilt. The south transept contains a Burne-Jones window. The 15th century Gothic bell tower has a ring of six bells, cast in 1727, 1796, 1859 and 1995.