Old All Saints Church (Nuneham Courtenay)
_church,_Nuneham_Courtenay_-_geograph.org.uk_-_716432.jpg)
Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′ 49.8 " N , 1 ° 13 ′ 5.5" W.
The Old All Saints Church in Nuneham Courtenay or Harcourt Chapel is a disused Anglican church near the village of Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire , England . The building has been classified as Grade II * listed building by English Heritage ; the structure is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust . The church is located southwest of the village on the grounds of Nuneham House and overlooks the waters of the Thames about ten kilometers upriver from Oxford .
history
The church building is the second of the three parish churches in the course of Nuneham Courtenay Church; all three were dedicated to All Saints' Day . The originally existing church was built in the Middle Ages, but in 1762 it was in a "ruin-like state". The medieval church was demolished by Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl of Harcourt . The churchyard was destroyed and turned into a park for the earl. This church was built in 1764. It was designed by Earl Harcourt himself, with some changes to the design by the architect James Stuart . The construction cost was around £ 800 (in today's prices: £ 120,000). The new church was conveniently located for the Earl and his family, but not for the villagers belonging to the parish, so in 1880 a third parish church was built in the village. The building, built in 1764, was refurnished and only used as a private chapel for the Harcourt family. It was declared redundant on May 8, 1980 and transferred to the Churches Conservation Trust on October 28, 1981.
architecture
Exterior
The church was built with ashlar from limestone and has a dome with a roof made of copper . It is said that the design is based on one of the temples in Palmyra . The church is rectangular in plan with protruding sections on each side. The main front is the north side, which is said to have been modeled on the entrance side of Chiswick House . The protruding portico has six Ionic columns and a thermal bath window on either side of the portico. On this sits the main beam with a notched cornice and a triangular pediment . The wall at the back of the portico has a blind passage and blind arches . There is also a gable triangle on the south side, but this is closed. Underneath there is a centrally arranged entrance with wrought iron doors. The east and west sides are semicircular and are crowned by semi-domes. On the west side there is a vestibule with Ionic columns as well. There are four thermal bath windows on the central dome. A large tomb can be found outside the church on the east wall. It was brought here from the earlier, demolished church.
inner space
The interior of the church consists of a centrally arranged rotunda and two rectangular rooms. There are niches around the rotunda and a small baptistery to the south of it . Text boards made of plaster are attached to the walls. In addition, the elaborately carved choir stalls erected in 1880 are distributed on the wall. This is designed in the Italian style of the 16th century. The backs are decorated with wooden panels separated by Corinthian columns. The wooden lectern dates from the 17th or 18th century. The baptismal font has convex grooves and was erected in 1843; it has an Italian Baroque style lid that was added later . The interior of the church also includes two chests , four nineteenth-century death shields , three tapestries and memorabilia from the funeral of King Edward VII, and plaques in honor of the Harcourt family.
See also
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f Church of All Saints, Nuneham Courtenay ( English ) In: The National Heritage List for England . English Heritage . 2011. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^ A b All Saints' Church, Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire ( English ) Churches Conservation Trust . Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e Parishes: Nuneham Courtenay ( English ) In: A History of the County of Oxford . University of London & History of Parliament Trust. Pp. 234-249. 1957. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ↑ Diocese of Oxford: All Schemes ( English , PDF; 40 kB) Church of England . 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
