For over nine centuries, All Saints’ Church has sat at the heart of the community of Middleton Stoney. With the nave leadwork dating from Victorian times, the roof has leaked for as long as anyone in the parish can remember!
Matters deteriorated significantly over recent years such that the ingress of water threatened the rich interior of the church. Works started in earnest as 2020 drew to a close; it soon became clear that the extent of water damage to the roof was significantly worse than we had anticipated. The oak timbers supporting the lead guttering were entirely rotten, with the ancient oak frame bearing the north parapet wall having decayed to such an extent that the entire structure was in danger of collapsing.
The solution (in agreement with the Oxford Diocesan Advisory Committee) was to remove the rotten timbers of the north parapet and replace them with brick, rather like underpinning, and simultaneously rebuild the gutters whilst re-leading the roof. Fortunately, we discovered these issues when we did – before the rot progressed to involve the main roof trusses.
The project costs, therefore, escalated from approximately £20,000 to an eye-watering £75,000! Suffice it to say that the coffers of the Parochial Church Council were far from able to cover these costs. We were thrilled to have the generous support of Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust, with additional support from members of our community (including the Middleton Stoney Church Maintenance Fund, which derives its income from a village-wide lottery scheme), the Benefact Trust and Viridor Credits Limited.
The roof refurbishment project was eventually completed on the 11th of June, 2022 – the official birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was therefore felt fitting that at our All Saints’ Day service on the 28th of October, 2022, our Patronal Festival would be an appropriate occasion for our Rector, The Reverend Gareth Miller, to bless the newly-refurbished nave roof in honour of Her Late Majesty.
This Grade II* listed building is Norman in origin with many additions and alterations over the centuries. It contains the Child-Villiers family chapel, added in 1805. A major restoration was undertaken in 1858 under the direction of Samuel Sanders Teulon (1812-73) and in 1860 the C14 Gothic baptismal font was presented to the church. The font is reputed to have been used for the baptism of Edward the Confessor and likely comes from the Saxon chapel at the Royal House of Wessex, Islip (demolished 1780). GE Street (1824-81) added a number of elements in 1868, most noteworthy the choir stalls and pulpit.
