All Saints Church, Shirburn

All Saints Church stands at the west end of Shirburn village in Oxfordshire, just south of Shirburn Castle. The church is a Grade II listed building under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Its north chapel serves as the Parker family mausoleum, home to the Earls of Macclesfield since 1715. The building began in the late 11th or early 12th century, with later additions in the 13th, 14th, 18th and 19th centuries. In 1876 the architect T. H. Wyatt carried out a major restoration and rebuilding. The church became redundant in 1995 and was placed in the Trust’s care. The church’s architecture reflects its long history. Most of the walls are rendered chalk and flint rubble, with a brick north transept added in the 19th century. The plan is cruciform, with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, organ chamber and vestry. The west tower has a Georgian top stage above medieval stages. Inside, two 13th-century arcades separate nave from aisles, and a two-bay arcade links chancel to the north chapel. Memorials to the Chamberlain and Macclesfield families line the chancel and transepts. Visitors find a quiet country church with medieval and later details. The nave holds a 13th-century font under an 18th-century cover. The south transept contains a 14th-century piscina. The east window’s stained glass is by Ward and Hughes, and the organ dates from the 1880s by Gray and Davison. The church was used as a Midsomer Murders filming location in 2011. Its setting beside the castle and village green makes it a peaceful place to explore.