Church Of St James

SARSDEN SP22SE 7/187 Church of St. James

GV II

Parish church. 1760, extended 1823 by G.S. Repton, restored 1896 by W.E. Mills. Limestone ashlar to north and east sides and porch, regularly coursed and dressed rubble to south, rendered to west; stone slate roof with coped verges on projecting kneelers. Nave; chancel; transepts, north-east vestry and south-west porch. Nave. North side has C18 or c.1823 round-headed windows with moulded architraves, plain imposts and projecting keystones to left and right of central 6-panel doors with similar architrave and leaded fanlight, approached by flight of 3 steps. South side has 3 round-headed windows like those on north but with plain architraves. Porch (1823) to south-west corner has moulded cornice and embattled parapet. Paired pointed Gothic windows with dripstone to east side, blind pointed opening to south side and pointed doorway with Gothic panelled door approached by flight of steps on west side. Moulded impost band to pointed doorway and blind opening and moulded plinth to doorway continued round to other sides. Blind mock gun-loop above doorway to west. North transept (1823) has 3 stepped round-headed windows (1896) to north wall and gabled bellcote (also 1896) with round-headed opening. Single-light round-headed window in east wall. South transept has round-arched leaded window with inner round-headed arch linked to outer by transoms and radiating mullions near top of arch. Hip-roofed vestry in angle to east has single-light round-headed window in south wall. Chancel with chamfered plinth has semi-circular hoodmould over low-relief roundel with Maltese cross. East wall has round-headed window like that in south transept; stone cross to gable. Interior. Considerably restored 1896. Dado panelling may be partly 1760 but mainly late C19. Nave benches, choir stalls, octagonal font and wooden pulpit all late C19. Plastered barrel-vaulted roofs to nave, chancel and transepts with plain quadripartite vault to crossing. C19 communion rails incorporate C18 barley sugar balusters with sprouting foliage carving to bases. No monuments of note. No connection from main body of church to porch. An engraving in Skelton shows the church, presumably before the remodelling of 1823. (Buildings of England: 0xfordshire: p752j Joseph Skelton: The Antiquities of Oxfordshire (1823)", p59; Bodleian Library, Oxford: HS.Top.oxon. a.68, no.452) [2637]

Listing NGR: SP2894623007