The Parish Church of Saint Giles, Standlake is the Church of England parish church of

Standlake Standlake is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Brighthampton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,497. The River Windru ...

, a village about southeast of

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

in Oxfordshire. Since 1976 St Giles' parish has been a member of the Lower Windrush Benefice along with the parishes of Northmoor,

Stanton Harcourt Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and about west of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Sutton, north of the village. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 960. A ...

and Yelford.

History

The Church of England parish church of Saint Giles dates from the latter part of the 12th century, and 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. Ov ...

arch, west wall of 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 ...

and

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 ...

font survive from this time. In the first half of the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt and north and south

transepts A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

were added, all in an

Early English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ...

style. The north transept and east end of the chancel retain some lancet windows from this time. The north

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

is 14th century but the square bases of the columns of its

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

look 12th century, suggesting that it was rebuilt from an earlier north aisle that was either purely Norman or Transitional from Norman to Early English. The south aisle, however, is purely early 14th century, as are the Decorated Gothic windows in both aisles. In the middle of the 14th century the arcade between the nave and the north aisle was rebuilt with

Decorated Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

columns, new windows were inserted in the north walls of the chancel and the north transept, and an unusual slender octagonal bell tower with a small spire was added at the west end of the nave. In about 1500 a clerestory was added to the nave and Perpendicular Gothic windows were inserted on the south side of the chancel and at the west end of the south aisle.

Restoration

In the 19th century the church building deteriorated until the Gothic Revival architect C.C. Rolfe restored it in phases from 1880 to 1891. Rolfe rediscovered and reopened 13th century windows in the chancel, north transept and at the west end of the north aisle and blocked the windows that had been added to the chancel in the 14th and 15th centuries. Rolfe rebuilt the porch, which was probably 14th century, reusing its original materials. Rolfe also re-roofed and refurnished the entire building, for which all the woodcarving was undertaken by

Harry Hems Harry Hems (12 June 1842 – 5 January 1916) was an English architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor who was particularly inspired by Gothic architecture and a practitioner of Gothic Revival. He founded and ran a large workshop in Exeter, Devon ...

of Exeter. The spire was restored in 1911. The roof developed structural defects in the 20th century and in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

it was damaged by a bomb. It was repaired in about 1950 and the church was reroofed in the 1990s.

Bells

The west tower has a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

of six bells. The second, third and fifth bells were cast in 1709 and 1710: the survivors of a

of five cast by Henry III Bagley of

Chacombe Chacombe (sometimes Chalcombe in the past) is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about north-east of Banbury. It is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the north by a tributary and to the south-east by the ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. William Taylor cast the tenor bell in 1843, presumably at his then bell-foundry in Oxford.

Mears and Stainbank 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 ...

or 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 ...

cast the treble bell in 1887. The fourth bell was recast in 1931. St Giles' has also a Sanctus bell, which Thomas

Rudhall of Gloucester Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 cast more than 5,000 bells. History There had been a tradition of bell casting in Gloucester since before the 14th century. ...

cast in 1781.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Standlake, St Giles' Church

Grade II* listed churches in Oxfordshire