St Mary's Church, Chastleton

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet Oxfordshire village of Chastleton, a parish church built around AD 1100 with later additions. The tower dates from 1689, and the building was restored in the 1870s. A Grade II* listed structure, it contains remains from every major period since the Normans. The churchyard borders Chastleton House, home of the families whose lives are recorded inside. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and the names that shaped England. Robert Catesby, organiser of the Gunpowder Plot, was christened here in 1595. The south aisle chapel holds medieval tiles and 14th-century windows showing scenes from Christ’s childhood. The Victorian ceiling displays the coats of arms of five successive manor families. Inside, the south aisle chapel has 17th-century panelling and Victorian pews. The chancel contains brasses to Katherine Throckmorton and Edmund Ansley, while the pulpit bears the date 1623. On the north wall, 17th- and 18th-century wall paintings depict the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. The tower holds a ring of six bells, last re-tuned in 1993.