Radley Church, dedicated to the apostle St James the Great, stands on the site of an earlier Norman building which was burnt down in 1290. It contains a fine Norman pillared font, dating from the 13th century. This was retrieved for the church in 1840 from the farmyard opposite the church, where it had been buried to escape Civil War damage.
The church itself was damaged in the Civil War in 1643 when royalist soldiers sheltering there were attacked by parliamentarian soldiers, and two officers and several troopers were killed. The panelled altar tomb in the churchyard, known as the Cavaliers' tomb, is said to be of that date. In the same year (and presumably in the same skirmish) the north aisle and transept of the church were said to be so greatly damaged that they had to be removed and the open side walled in, never to be rebuilt.
There are many other treasures in the church, such as the piscina, Stonhouse monument and pulpit canopy, all described in the Radley History Club publications, The History of Radley and Radley Church and Parish - A Brief History.
A further publication, Faith and Heraldry, describes the stained glass and its history.
Radley Church today |
