Oxenton village is at the northernmost end of the parish of Woolstone with Gotherington and Oxenton. Slightly bigger than nearby Woolstone, it's still a small community with just about 30 homes and 4 farms: but it has a very impressive village hall and a good-sized church with an enormous tower. One might wonder how it all came to be here, and some of the story at least rests with Lord Ellenborough of Southam. Despite having restored Southam he's actually buried here in a family mausoleum alongside his son Captain Richard.
Church History
This Place of Worship was founded in the 13th century, and still holds regular services.
Oxenton is a gem of a church - described in the guide leaflet as "an almost unspoilt medieval church of the 13th century tastefully restored in 1905".
The church can be found almost at the end of a no-through road, and has a neat little car park. Entering through the gateway, on the left was a sign saying "Watch Out for Rabbit Holes", featuring two rabbits dancing up and down gleefully, with toothy grins on their faces!
Inside the porch fresh flowers are regularly laid, and an unusual sampler, with a tasteful dedication to St John the Baptist.
Inside the church are almost all the usual fittings, including an aumbry on the north wall of the Chancel, with exquisitely carved wooden grille, and two piscinas - one in the chancel, dating from the 13th century, and a trefoil-headed one in the nave, next to the pulpit. The latter, according to the guide leaflet indicates there may have been an altar nearby, which suggests the church may be older than the 13th century. There is evidence of this too, in the rounded Romanesque-style arch at the chancel end of the arcade, if it is original.
The Hatchment on the archway supporting the tower is of the Earl of Ellenborough, a resident of Southam, but also Governor General of India, and a large landowner in the village. His also is the wall monument to the right of the North doorway.
Lozenge-shaped floor tiles in the Chancel are Elizabethan. Pulpit and choir-stalls are of "linen-fold Elizabethan oak panelling"; whilst two carvings of wood hang on the Chancel walls. These are replicas made in 1980 of originals, dating from the 15th century, which were stolen.
There is a 1st World War Memorial mounted beneath the capital at the chancel end of the arcade. Its Inscription reads:
To the Glory of God
In Gratitude for a Great Deliverance
and in Memory of
Henry William HOPKINS, Pte. 13th. Glos. Regt.
Who fell in the Great War 1914-1919.
The real treasure inside the church is it's Wall Paintings. There are two "Catherine Wheels", one on the north wall, and one on the west wall.
Another fragment of painting can be seen high on the wall at the north east end of the nave. This looks as if it might have been a shield, or coat of arms.
The largest area is however above, and around the south doorway. The guide leaflet says 3 paintings have been superimposed; the oldest shows a figure holding a pilgrim's cross, and a further layer has an Elizabethan Royal Coat of Arms. The top layer represents the Ten Commandments on a hinged book, said by the guide leaflet to be unusual. [Source: Rosemary Lockie]
The cache:
You are looking for a small, black bison tube. It is only 5cm tall and contains only a logbook. Please bring your own pen or pencil to sign the log.
We hope you have enjoyed your visit to this wonderful church - happy caching!
***Congratulations to rcavic on the FTF!***
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