St Lawrence's Church is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
church in
North Hinksey
North Hinksey is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, immediately west of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively a suburb of Oxford. North Hinksey was part of Berkshire until the 1974 bo ...
, West
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The church is dedicated to
St Lawrence, a Christian martyr. It is a
Grade II* Listed Building.
The church has a
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
,
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and tower.
Exterior construction and later modifications
The church building uses
uncoursed limestone rubble with
ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
dressings and was originally constructed in the early
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
period (c. 1100CE). The roof uses stone tiles. The tower was originally constructed in the 13th century. The tower and south wall were rebuilt following their partial destruction during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, c1670.
[Historic England]
Retrieved on 5 January 2019
Around 1850, a reproduction Norman chancel arch was constructed.
In 1913, the church was restored by
William Weir and
Ernest Gimson.
["Repair of Ferry Hinksey Church", Jackson's Oxford Illustrated Journal, 12 November 1913, p.11, Oxfordshire History Centre] The restoration included an external drainage system which still functions. The east and south walls show clear signs of the 1913 repairs and the north wall shows remains of a former heating house.
Church Interior
The
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
dates to the early 12th century. The
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
is slightly later and was originally separated from the chancel by a narrow opening. This opening was replaced by a larger Norman style opening designed by John Macduff Der(r)ick around 1850.
The chancel roof is supported by a 16th-century Queen Post
roof truss. Sympathetic repairs to the roof truss were included in the 1913 restoration.
On the floor of the chancel is the historically important tombstone of the parents of
Dr. Thomas Willis FRS, a famous resident of North Hinksey. Dr. Thomas Willis lived at Ferry Cottage through his schooldays, taking the ferry and walking to Oxford each day. His fame arises from his recognition as a pioneer in anatomy and pathophysiology due to his original multidisciplinary work in a clinical setting. In the 1913 restoration the stone was placed "as near as possible" to its original site. The inscription on the tomb reads, in part,
The tombstone establishes the otherwise uncertain date of the death of Dr Thomas Willis' father, which was a significant event in his early career. The year of death actually predates the military engagements now known as the
Siege of Oxford, but come after the Royalist forces withdrew to a defensive position at Oxford during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
.
The north wall of the nave is largely the original 12th century construction, being very deep with small window openings. Other interiors walls were partially damaged during Civil War and rebuilt soon after. The doorway and staircase to the former
rood loft
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
(a reminder that the church was formally a Roman Catholic one) was reopened in 1913. The rood loft and rood were destroyed in the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. The north wall also has a blocked up Norman doorway.
A door in south wall dates from the 12th century, and has a Norman beaker clasp carving which is reported in the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. The external porch is original and is dated 1786.
The north and west walls carry old wall paintings which have been painted over but are still protected.
In 1931 an organ loft was constructed by
T. Lawrence Dale
Thomas Lawrence Dale, Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, FSA (known as T.L. Dale, T. Lawrence Dale or Lawrence Dale) was an English architect. Until the First Wor ...
, with an organ by P G Phipps.
[Faculties, Oxfordshire History Centre]
Bell tower
The tower contains six bells, which are rung for Sunday services and, when requested, for events such as weddings. The bells at St Lawrence's are rung by
change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in which the ringers commit to memor ...
rather than by striking with hammers. As is normal for church bells, the highest-pitched bell is called the "treble" and the lowest-pitched bell is called the "tenor". The other bells are numbered from "second" to "fifth".
The tower was rebuilt after damage during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
and four bells were installed. The inscription on the tenor shows that it was cast in 1614, before the Civil War, so it may have come from another church. By 1906 the tenor was considered to be unusable, so was re-cast (melted down and the metal used to make a new bell) by
John Taylor & Co
John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...
.
By 1972, money had been raised for the treble and the second to be re-cast by the
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells a ...
. Two new bells were also added, using metal from a bell from
South Hinksey
South Hinksey is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish just over south of the centre of Oxford. The parish includes the residential area of Hinksey Hill about south of the village. The parish was part of Berkshire until the Loc ...
.
The two new bells became the treble and second, and the other bells were re-numbered accordingly.
The inscriptions on the bells reads:
* Treble: The gift of Winifred Toynbee 1972
* Second: John W Larter B.C. Vicar. K.G.Goff and H Lockwood churchwardens 1972
* Third: Cast 1676 by Richard Keene of Woodstock. Recast 1972 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
* Fourth: 1681
Christopher Hodson
Christopher John Hodson is a New Zealand barrister and judge, Judge Advocate General of the New Zealand Armed Forces, and the Chief Judge of the Court Martial of New Zealand.
Early life
Hodson was born in Masterton, where he grew up on his famil ...
made me. Recast 1972 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
* Fifth: RK 1675
* Tenor: William Yare made me 1614. Recast 1907
Winifred Toynbee was a local councillor and social worker.
Windows
The church contains five
painted glass
Painted glass refers to two different techniques of decorating glass, both more precisely known by other terms.
Firstly, and more correctly, it means enamelled glass, normally relatively small vessels which have been painted with preparations of ...
windows.
Chancel south wall - Made in 1890 by
Hardman & Co. This was donated to the church by the Reverend Cornish in memory of his sister Emily Louisa Cornish. It depicts the
Wise Virgins in tribute to Emily, who was unmarried.
Chancel north wall - Made in 1890 by
Hardman & Co. This was given by Mrs Jane Low of Dundee in memory of her son Alexander, who died age 19 and may have been a student at Oxford University. It depicts
Eunice
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia.
Pe ...
and her son,
Saint Timothy.
Chancel east wall - Made by James Ballantyne Jr. of Edinburgh.
It depicts the appearance of the
Risen Christ to
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
and makes good use of external light to impart a
numinous quality to the figure of Christ, distinguishing him from the living Mary.
Nave south wall - Made in 1881 by
Hardman & Co. This depicts the baptised Christ, with a dove bringing the
Holy Spirit
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
. Roundels show the
Lamb of God
Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...
, a
pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
and sequences of letters representing
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.
Nave, north wall - Small window made of 15th century glass recovered from the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
, 1920.
The south wall of the nave also has a small clear window at a height that allows people from outside to view the church service. It is not known whether this is intended for use by lepers, an
anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...
or some other purpose. However, there was an anchorite near Hinksey in 1271, as provision was made in a will to support him.
Notable features
The church and churchyard contain a number of interesting features. These include:
* A 12th century carving to south door.
* A very richly carved wall tablet c.1678.
* Three doors by
Ernest Gimson.
* A 15th century carved stone font.
* Two wooden war memorials.
Churchyard
The churchyard contains a number of graves, including a headstone maintained by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
for William Barson who died in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
at the age of 17. The English scholar,
Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
, was buried there in 1922. There are two chest tombs, both of which are
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
There is also the base of a churchyard cross, which is also Grade II listed. The cross is believed to have been built in the 12th or 13th century.
[Doggett, N. Lankester, P.J. "Fragments of the 15th-century Reredos and a Medieval Cross-Head from North Hinksey Discovered at All Souls College Chapel, Oxford and some New Light on the 19th-century Restoration", Oxoniensia, vol. 49, 1984, p 277] At some point before 1800, the top part of the cross became detached and fragments of the cross were fixed to the east wall of the church.
[Aymer Vallance, Old Crosses and Lychgates (1920), 48 and 75. Figs. 83-85] A piece of the top part of the cross was discovered at
All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...
in 1983, where it had been used as part of 19th century building work to block up a doorway.
It is not known how this piece got to All Souls College, and the other pieces are lost.
References
Bibliography
*
{{Coord, 51.7459, -1.2846, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
English churches with Norman architecture
Norh Hinksey
North Hinksey
North Hinksey is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, immediately west of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively a suburb of Oxford. North Hinksey was part of Berkshire until the 1974 bo ...