Listing Text

SOULDERN CHURCH LANE
SP5231 (North side)
14/80 Church of St. Mary
07/12/66

GV II*

Church. Mid-C12 north wall and doorway. Romanesque tower and tower arch rebuilt
by G.F. Bodley in 1906 re-using the old materials. Foundations of apsidal
Romanesque chancel discovered in 1896. South aisle added in late C12 and rebuilt
in the C14 re-using the Romanesque round piers but employing new pointed arches
and the capitals of the responds carved with heads. Corbel table of similar
heads on the south wall added by T. Rickman in the early C19. Chancel rebuilt in
the C18 and again in 1897 by Sir Ninian Comper. Coursed and squared coursed
limestone rubble. South aisle has lead roof, others not visible. Chancel, nave,
south aisle and porch, west tower. Chancel has renewed Decorated and
Perpendicular style windows in ironstone: 4-light on east, 2- and 3-light on
south and 2-light on north. Renewed priest's door on north. Diagonal and
clasping buttresses. Shallow parapet. Nave has Romanesque north doorway. Two
2-light Perpendicular windows with square heads, and hood moulds and label stops
on north. Both north and south clerestorys have 4 small square Decorated
windows. Shallow stone parapets. South aisle. 3-light window with reticulated
tracery. 2- and 3-light Decorated windows flanking porch and 3-light window with
intersecting tracery on west. Diagonal buttresses, gargoyle and corbel table
with carved heads. Shallow stone parapet. C15 south porch has wide pointed
arched doorway, stone bench seats and stoup. South doorway has a pointed arched
head with hood moulds with head stops. West tower of 4 stages with strings to
1st, 2nd and 3rd stages. 2-light Romanesque opening to bell-turret. Parapet.
Interior: chancel has 4-bay C19 roof. Nave has an arched tie beam roof. South
aisle has original C14 roof. Chancel arch has foliage and carved head on the
responds indicating a rebuilding of c.1300. Three-bay south arcade. North wall
has remains of a large St. Christopher. C12 tub font. Chancel has 3 brasses. One
to Thomas Warner dated 1514 and another to an unknown woman, C16. Also a heart
with scrolls c.1460, the original inscription has been replaced by a C16
inscription to J. Throckmorton. Wall memorial in chancel to Thomas Hardinge
dated 1648. C19 reading desk, pulpit and pews.
(Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: pp768-9; VCH: Oxfordshire: Vol VI:
pp309-311)

Listing NGR: SP5230131691