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Summary

Former location of both 14th century church destroyed by fire and subsequent brick replacement in 1717, which was demolished when a Victorian church was built at a new location

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 01892.02.000
  
• National Monuments Record No.: SU 36 SE 10
  SU 3853 6320 - misleading description

Monument Type(s):

• CHURCH (Burnt down, 14th century to 18th century - 1332 AD to 1716 AD?)
• CHURCH (Demolished, 18th century to Late 19th century - 1717 AD to 1882 AD?)

Full Description

CHURCH FIRST MENTIONED 1332. FIRE 1715-16. BRICK-BUILT REPLACEMENT 1717, ON SAME SITE; MARKED TODAY BY LOW BRICK WALL. SITE AND DISUSED GRAVEYARD NOW A GARDEN. ONLY EVIDENCE OF PRE-1717 CHURCH IS A GRAVE SLAB MARKED '1669'. MODERN CHURCH (SMR 1892.03) BUILT IN 1883, 500M ESE OF THIS SITE.

The 18th century church was designed by Inigo Jones and was 'a very superior building...justly considered the finest specimen of brick building in this part of the county' according to Gray's History <1>. The Victoria County History records that it was pulled down in 1882, and that the graveyard is 'now included in the grounds of West Woodhay House and the outline of the church is marked out by low box hedges' <2>.

According to a church guide written in 1980, in the vestry of the 1883 church, is a Faculty dated 27 April 1716, to demolish the medieval church because it was 'very Ancient and in great decay' <6>. When the church of 1716 was itself demolished, 96 medieval floor tiles from the first church were found, including some near complete lion-head tiles, which were then mounted in the wall of the 1883 church's Memorial Chapel, below the belfry. Three photographs of the 1716 church, taken in around 1880, also displayed in the 1883 Church's vestry, show that it was a neo-Classical, brick building. A marble wall memorial from the 1716 church was transferred to the 1883 church's Memorial Chapel and displayed above the medieval tiles. Otherwise, the two previous churches are only represented by their foundations, which have been preserved in the grounds of West Woodhay House.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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