Church of St Mary, Bloxham

St Mary’s Bloxham is a Church of England parish church in the Oxfordshire village of Bloxham. Its 14th-century tower and spire rise higher than any other in the county, and the building is unusually large for a parish church. The architectural historian Jennifer Sherwood called it one of the grandest churches in the country, and it is recognised with Grade I listed status. Traces of a church stand here from 1067, when William of Normandy granted it to Westminster Abbey. The oldest surviving stonework belongs to the 12th century, with doorways and parts of the chancel arch still visible. Most of the present structure was built in the 14th and 15th centuries, when aisles, porches and a tall tower were added. The church is worth the journey for its fine stone carvings and surviving medieval art. Craftsmen from a local school of masons worked on the tracery and ornate capitals, and fragments of 14th-century wall paintings remain. A Doom scene hangs over the chancel arch, while Saint Christopher looks down from above the north door. The 15th-century Milcombe chapel contains monuments to the Thornycroft family, including the tomb of Sir John Thornycroft. In the 19th century the Gothic Revival architect G E Street restored the spire and added fittings such as the pulpit and choir stalls. Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris designed stained glass windows in the chancel and east end. Inside, visitors find a spacious nave with arcades of the 13th century and aisles rebuilt in the 14th. The rood screen and Milcombe chapel show rich Perpendicular Gothic detail. The tower holds eight bells, the heaviest ring of change-ringing bells in the world that are rung from the ground floor. A Sanctus bell cast around 1599 and a service bell from about 1899 add to the sound of the church. Outside, a large graveyard stretches eastwards, and the building serves local schools for Christmas services. The church remains the main place of worship for the united benefice of Bloxham, Milcombe and South Newington.