St Giles, Stoke Poges, Buck's - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

St. Giles, the Parish Church of Stoke Poges, dates from Saxon times with remains still existing in part of the Chancel Wall and windows There are parts still surviving from three later periods,
Norman( 1086 ) the pillars, part of the Chancel and part of the Tower,
Early Gothic ( 1220 ); the nave reconstructed on the Norman pillars and Tudor ( 1558 ); the Hastings Chapel, built in red-brick.

The Church and Churchyard were formerly enclosed within the grounds of Stoke Park, 200 yards away from the old Manor House, hence their remoteness from the village.
The manor in Stoke Poges was once a very grand place, and Queen Elizabeth I was entertained here in 1601 . Later, in the middle of the Seventeenth century the lady of the manor, Lady Purbeck caused great national scandal when she had a love affair outside her own marriage.
In 1635 she was imprisoned for adultery but escaped from prison to France, later returning to Stoke Poges where she died in 1645.
In 1647 the manor was the place where King Charles I was imprisoned before his execution.

Later the manor came into the possession of William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania, and remained in his family for at least two generations.

Many notable people who occupied the Stoke Park Mansion supported the Church. The Chancel contains the tomb of Sir John de Molyns, Marshal of the King's Falcons and Supervisor of the King's Castles. Sir John founded the Chantry in 1338 and it contains a Piscina with two basins, a rare feature.

Originally the bells were rung from the floor of the tower. Mr. John Penn made this into a Manor House pew in 1800 and constructed a ringing chamber immediately above it. Since 1924 the bells have been rung from a higher storey in the tower, accessed from an external staircase.

The Hastings Chapel was built in red brick with stone mullioned windows in 1558. Lord Hastings of Loughborough, son of the first Earl ~ of Huntingdon, founded a Hospital, or Almshouse in 1557 and built the Chapel to serve. ~ as its oratory, also as a burial-place for himself and other members of the Hastings family.

There are some interesting windows.
One known as the 'Bicycle Window' is made up of fragments of glass, one Piece dated 1643, as a memorial to those who fell in the Second World War. It is not possible to deduce the original complete design. Another pair of windows commemorates the death of a small child belonging to the Howard- Vyse family. They show the child leaving its earthly mother and being accepted by its heavenly mother.

The tomb of Thomas Gray is immediately below the east window of the Hastings Chapel. A tablet on the wall also records that his mother Dorothy Gray and her sister Mary Antrobus are buried in the vault below. Gray died at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge and requested to be buried next to his mother.

For a more detailed account see the guide "Stoke Poges Parish Church" on sale in this church.

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1086 Age of Church building determined by?: Historical Society If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 9:30 AM To: 4:30 PM If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Saturday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 12:00 AM Street address of Church: St Giles Stoke Poges, Buck's United Kingdom none Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Not listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

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