At the meeting of Council on 10th February 2026 grants to the value of just under
£104,000 were awarded to 12 churches.
St Giles, Hampton Gay (Grade II*) received a grant of £25,000 for roof and tower repairs
This small church stands in an open field close to the village. Largely rebuilt in 1767-8 and later with Victorian alterations. The remaining Georgian features are the Gallery, the coved and panelled ceiling, the stone ball finial on the roof, and the weather vaneSt Mary le More, Wallingford (Grade II*) received a grant of £22,000 for replacement of the boiler
There has been a church on this site since Norman times. It was rebuilt in the 13th century, and the tower is 17th century. Further monuments in the church reflect the many benefactors of the town.
St Giles, Oxford (Grade I) received a grant of £15,000 for the installation of a new organ
Built as a private church in 12th century by Edwin, son of Godegose, it was later part of the Abbey of Godstow. The church was damaged during the siege of Oxford in the Civil War. Inside the church there is a fine monument to the former Mayor of Oxford, Henry Bosworth (1578-1634) that was put up by his wife in 1683.
Rose Hill Methodist, Oxford received a grant of £13,000 for access and interior refurbishments
This small stone and brick built chapel was founded in 1835 and has been altered and extended over the years. The chancel was added in 1940-1 and community facilities were added to the rear of the church in 1957. The graveyard was extended in 1868 and was closed in 1963. The organ is older than the church . The stained glass windows are memorial gifts.
Sacred Heart RC, Henley on Thames (Grade II) received a grant of £7,500 for the installation of new heating
This interwar Arts and Crafts Gothic brick building was designed by A S G Butler (1888-1965) It contains furnishings from the former Danesfield chapel, built by A W Pugin (1812-52), including the East Window, the high altar and reredos and the font.
St Faith, Shellingford (Grade I) received a grant of £7,200 for installation of a mains water supply
Built in the late 12th century, and much restored since then, Shellingford’s church still boasts its 12th-century porch. Other original 12th-century features include the chancel arch and three doorways. The interior of St Faith is filled with monuments to the owners of Shellingford manor from 1630-1830.
St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford (Grade II) received a grant of £5,000 the restoration of the tower clock and rainwater goods
Founded in the 12th century by the Augustinian canons of Osney Abbey, the oldest part is the Norman chancel which contains a 13th century priest’s door with its original iron work. The east window is 14th century; the nave and tower are from the mid 15th century.
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St James the Great, Radley (Grade II*) received a grant of £5,000 for restoration of tombs and gallery
Built on the site of an earlier Saxon building the current building was consecrated around 1300AD. The Church contains a fine Norman pillared font, dating from the 13th century. This was retrieved in 1840 from the farmyard opposite, where it had been buried to escape damage in the Civil War. There are many other treasures in the Church, such as the piscina, the Stonehouse monument, the pulpit canopy and the reredos.
St Peter, Stoke Lyne (Grade II*) received a grant of £3,000 repairs to the nave ceiling
The existing building is14th century. On the main south door there is a 12th-century statue of St Peter . In 1993 the west end of the church was re-designed to provide the parish with a meeting room and kitchen facilities. The church was completely refurbished in 2019.
St Laurence, Appleton (Grade II*) received a grant of £1,000 for tower repairs and electrics
The church was built and developed over several centuries.
Its early origins are 12th-century evinced by the Norman arches in the nave. Resting on round pillars the carving on the capitals are all different. The nave was rebuIlt in 1612.
St Mary, Ashbury (Grade I) received an Emergency Grant of £1,000 or the replacement of failed lights
The first church was built before AD 947. The present building features 12th-century origins, with 13th-century towers and chapels, and a 14th-century chancel. Notably, the church is recognized for its connection to the first Sunday School in the UK, established there by Reverend Thomas Stock in 1777.
St Mary, Kirtlington (Grade II*) received an Emergency Grant of £1,000 for roof works.
Built on the site of a smaller Saxon building this church had connections with Osney Abbey in Oxford. It has been extended and altered over the centuries. Under the patronage of the Dashwood family the bell tower was rebuilt in 1853 by Benjamin Ferrey (1810-80) in a Norman Revival style and in 1877 the chancel was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-78). It contains memorials to the Dashwood baronets and other members of the family. The stained glass is Victorian.