Iffley, Oxfordshire

Iffley, Oxfordshire

Iffley, Oxfordshire

The well acknowledged west entrance at Iffley.Iffley church is concealed downstream of Oxford amid the sprawl developed by the Cowley auto works. It lies in an oasis of cottages and chestnut trees, billowing with springtime blossom. Higher than the trees rises the celebrated, durable tower. Closer to, we see a person of England’s favorite Norman churches, heavily restored and with later insertions, but essentially as designed in the 12th century. The church strategy retains the original capabilities of crossing tower, cl1ancel and unaisled nave. Only the west and east finishes have been reconstructed, mainly to rectify unsympathetic 17th-century alterations. The huge west window is Victorian but centered on archaeological evidence.The pleasure of Iffley is in the detail, in the chunky, barbaric richness of door and window surrounds. These are generally carved with zigzag and beakhead about roll-moulding, building a jazzy effect of monsters with massive beaks biting into prolonged rolls of bread. In between these creatures are fighting horsemen, Samson and indicators of the zodiac. Most elaborate, and evidently most primary, is carving round the south doorway.The interior is dominated by mighty tower arches with far more zigzag, foliage and rollmoulding, the ornamental outcome enriched with Purbeck marble shafts. These shafts are a lot more characteristic of Early Gothic making and clearly show Iffley bordering on Transitional. In fact the chancel was partly rebuilt in the 13th century and has a rib vault and shafted lancet home windows attribute of Early Gothic. It also shows naturalistic carving, dragons, rosettes and a nesting chook, a wonderful burst of exuberance. This exuberance is mirrored in John Piper’s glass mounted in 1995 in the south-west window, provided posthumously by his widow and composed of birds versus a dim blue qualifications.I past saw Iffley with an Easter wedding ceremony in development. The air was loaded with the scent of flowers, the organ was booming by means of the open doorway, and the accumulating experienced thick Oxfordshire accents, now a rarity in this component of the county. (Simon Jenkins)
A late Norman (1170) exhibit piece, and rightly so, within and with no. W. entrance prosperous in beakhead and zigzag carving. Dim aisled inside shows eastward view of two elaborate Norman arches with vaulting concerning, foremost to contrasting light-weight Early English vaulted W. finish. Regrettable Victorian woodwork.JB

Posted by Martin Beek on 2006-04-28 07:32:45

Tagged: , Architecture , Churches , Historic , Oxfordshire , Iffley , Norman , one particular thousand a long time , The Attractiveness of Oxfordshire Church buildings , Diocese of Oxford , Romanesque artwork and architecture , information , 11th-12th hundreds of years , Romanesque , Romanesque art

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