St Matthew's Church, Langford
Encyclopedia
The Parish Church of Saint Matthew, Langford is the Church of England parish church
of Langford
, a village in West Oxfordshire
about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Lechlade
in neighbouring Gloucestershire
.
and Radcot
. Both chapels are long gone, but Grafton and Radcot hamlets remain parts of Langford's ecclesiastical parish.
Langford was part of the Diocese of Lincoln
until the Diocese of Oxford
was established under Henry VIII
in 1541. Despite becoming part of the new diocese, Langford remained a prebend of Lincoln Cathedral
until 1848, when the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840 ceded all prebendal estates in England to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
.
The church at Langford was formerly dedicated to St. Mary
. It was later rededicated to its current patron, St. Matthew
.
and nave
, which were built in the second half of the 11th century. They may post-date the Norman conquest of England
but they are very high quality work by Saxon masons and are the most imporant Saxon remains in Oxfordshire.
The north and south aisles were added in about 1200 and the south porch in the 13th century, all in the Early English Gothic style. The west walls of the nave and two aisles each have a 13th century lancet window
. At one time the porch had two storeys. The upper storey has since been removed, but its blocked doorway and the outline of its stairs are still visible inside the south aisle.
The porch includes two Anglo-Saxon
stone rood reliefs, but they are repositioned and their original sites are not known. The one on the east wall of the porch is 8th century and has lost its head. The one on the south gable of the porch is 10th century and has been assembled with Christ's left and right arms swapped over and the figures of Saint Mary
and Saint John the Evangelist
also transposed.
was rebuilt wider and taller. The line of the former 11th century Saxon roof against the east wall of the tower can be seen at the west end of the chancel. The concave lozenge
at the top of each of the chancel windows is a highly unusual feature for the 13th century. The elaborate aumbry
in the north wall of the chancel, with six compartments under three gables, is also unusual and suggests that it was a rich parish at the time.
Most of the windows of the north wall of the north aisle and south wall of the south aisle are 14th or 15th century Decorated Gothic or Perpendicular Gothic additions. The present font
is 15th century.
In 1574 two flying buttress
es were added to the north side of the north aisle. The more westerly of the two bears an inscription giving the date in the reign of Elizabeth I
. The pulpit is Jacobean
, made in 1673. A clock was installed in 1680 but is now a static exhibit in the south aisle.
restored the building in 1829. Further repairs were recommended by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
' surveyor Benjamin Ferrey
in 1848 and undertaken the following year. The Gothic Revival architect
Ewan Christian
restored
the nave roof to its original pitch in 1864.
St. Matthew's is now a Grade I listed building.
has a ring
of six bells. Four were cast in 1741 by Henry Bagley, who at the time had a bell-foundry
at Witney
. The tenor and treble bells were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in 1953.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Langford
Langford, Oxfordshire
Langford is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire, about northeast of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire.-Manor:The Domesday Book of 1086 records that a Saxon, Ælfsige of Faringdon, held the manor. In the reign of Edward the Confessor Ælfsige had been a minor landholder, holding two...
, a village in West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Lechlade
Lechlade
Lechlade, or Lechlade-on-Thames, is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near here....
in neighbouring Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
Government
The church was established as a chapelry of the Anglo-Saxon minster of St. Mary's, Bampton. Later in the Saxon era Langford was elevated to a minster with its own dependent chapels at GraftonGrafton, Oxfordshire
Grafton is a hamlet in the Thames Valley in West Oxfordshire about north of Faringdon. Grafton is one of two hamlets in Grafton and Radcot civil parish....
and Radcot
Radcot Bridge
Radcot Bridge is a crossing of the River Thames in England, south of Radcot, Oxfordshire and not far north of Faringdon, Oxfordshire . It carries the A4095 road across the river on the reach above Radcot Lock...
. Both chapels are long gone, but Grafton and Radcot hamlets remain parts of Langford's ecclesiastical parish.
Langford was part of the Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
until the Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
was established under Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1541. Despite becoming part of the new diocese, Langford remained a prebend of Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
until 1848, when the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840 ceded all prebendal estates in England to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
.
The church at Langford was formerly dedicated to St. Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
. It was later rededicated to its current patron, St. Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
.
Saxon building
The oldest parts of the present church at Langford are the bell towerBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, which were built in the second half of the 11th century. They may post-date the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
but they are very high quality work by Saxon masons and are the most imporant Saxon remains in Oxfordshire.
The north and south aisles were added in about 1200 and the south porch in the 13th century, all in the Early English Gothic style. The west walls of the nave and two aisles each have a 13th century lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
. At one time the porch had two storeys. The upper storey has since been removed, but its blocked doorway and the outline of its stairs are still visible inside the south aisle.
The porch includes two Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman Conquest of a large Anglo-Saxon nation-state whose...
stone rood reliefs, but they are repositioned and their original sites are not known. The one on the east wall of the porch is 8th century and has lost its head. The one on the south gable of the porch is 10th century and has been assembled with Christ's left and right arms swapped over and the figures of Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
and Saint John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
also transposed.
Later additions
In the 13th century the chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was rebuilt wider and taller. The line of the former 11th century Saxon roof against the east wall of the tower can be seen at the west end of the chancel. The concave lozenge
Lozenge
A lozenge , often referred to as a diamond, is a form of rhombus. The definition of lozenge is not strictly fixed, and it is sometimes used simply as a synonym for rhombus. Most often, though, lozenge refers to a thin rhombus—a rhombus with acute angles of 45°...
at the top of each of the chancel windows is a highly unusual feature for the 13th century. The elaborate aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
in the north wall of the chancel, with six compartments under three gables, is also unusual and suggests that it was a rich parish at the time.
Most of the windows of the north wall of the north aisle and south wall of the south aisle are 14th or 15th century Decorated Gothic or Perpendicular Gothic additions. The present font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is 15th century.
In 1574 two flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es were added to the north side of the north aisle. The more westerly of the two bears an inscription giving the date in the reign of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. The pulpit is Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
, made in 1673. A clock was installed in 1680 but is now a static exhibit in the south aisle.
Restoration and conservation
The architect and builder Richard PaceRichard Pace (Lechlade)
Richard Pace was a Georgian builder and architect in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. He served in the Life Guards 1784-88. Most of his known commissions were houses, in many cases for Church of England clergy. He also restored or refitted a small number of Church of England parish churches. He...
restored the building in 1829. Further repairs were recommended by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
' surveyor Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....
in 1848 and undertaken the following year. The Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian was a British architect. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners...
restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
the nave roof to its original pitch in 1864.
St. Matthew's is now a Grade I listed building.
Bells
The towerBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. Four were cast in 1741 by Henry Bagley, who at the time had a bell-foundry
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
at Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
. The tenor and treble bells were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
in 1953.