Church Of St Anne

SO 72 NW OXENHALL -

3/183 Church of St. Anne

2.10.54

GV II*

Parish church; C14 tower, rest rebuilt 1867 by John Middleton. Squared, roughly coursed stone to tower; squared uncoursed red stone, white ashlar dressings to rest, tiled roof. Four-bay nave, 2-bay chancel, south porch, west tower and spire, vestry. Moulded plinth to 3 storey tower, diagonally-set corner buttresses: at base boarded door on left, quadrant for tower stair on right, rising against nave gable: former door near bottom, slit window in blocking, further slit above. Partly built-up lancet with trefoil head to second stage, 2-light mullioned window, reticulated tracery above. Plain string course below 2 crenels per face in parapet. Truncated octagonal stone spire with rib to angles, lancet with ogee head partway up. Nave, plain plinth, square-set buttresses with 2 offsets; on left single lancet with reticulated tracery, hoodmould with uncarved block stops. Gabled porch over boarded door, nook shafts with floriate capitals, headstops to hoodmoulds. Stone base to porch, open timber work above, pointed arch with sidelights under steeply-cambered tiebeam: collar and studs above, backed diagonal boarding: carved bargeboards. Sides 3 lights with trefoil heads. To right two 2-light windows, otherwise as left of porch. Parapet gable, cross gablet apex with floriate cross. Chancel 2 windows and 2 buttresses, as east end of nave: uncarved corbelled eaves: parapet gable as nave. Interior: chancel arch moulded, with alternate red and 2 white voussoirs, rising off floriate capitals to marble columns, on angel corbels: head stops to hoodmould. Archbraced collar trusses off ornate floriate corbels, cross in circle above collar. Chancel: Low moulded string, marble nook-shafts to windows, recess below south-eastern to form sedilia. Aumbry on left with trefoil head, diaper back, ornate floriate corbel below. Reredos stone, blind arcading, diaper background, cinquefoil heads, quatrefoils between with flowers and leaves. Panelled boarded barrel-vault ceiling off angel corbels. Panelled wooden pulpit, 1632 (dated): important circular Norman lead font, blind arcading to sides, containing alternately figures and scrolls, on single stone base, square, reducing to octagon above with broaches. Late C18 and early C19 wall monuments in tower base. Date of rebuilding as on notice in church, presumably of completion. Top of spire removed 1972. (D. Verey, Gloucestershire, the Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1970.)

Listing NGR: SO7114126728