St Arild's Church, Oldbury-on-the-Hill explained

St Arild's Church, Oldbury-on-the-Hill
Imagealt:A stone church seen from the northwest. The tower is battlemented, and the relatively small plain body of the church extends beyond it
Pushpin Map:Gloucestershire
Pushpin Mapsize:200
Pushpin Label Position:left
Map Caption:Location in Gloucestershire
Location:Oldbury-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire
Country:England
Coordinates:51.5926°N -2.263°W
Osgraw:ST 818 882
Denomination:Anglican
Website:https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/church-listing/st-arild-oldbury.html
Dedication:Saint Arild
Functional Status:Redundant
Heritage Designation:Grade II*
Designated Date:6 September 1964
Architectural Type:Church
Style:Gothic
Groundbreaking:13th century
Materials:Stone, stone slate roof

St Arild's Church is a historic Anglican church near the village of Oldbury-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire, England under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, The church is dedicated to Arilda, a female saint who was a virgin and a martyr. This is one of only two churches dedicated to her, the other being nearby at Oldbury-on-Severn. Access to the church is across fields or through a farmyard.

History

The church originated in the 13th century, although most of its fabric dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. Repairs were carried out in the 18th century.

Architecture

St Arild's is constructed in stone with a stone slate roof. Its style is Perpendicular. The plan consists of a nave and chancel, with a small north porch, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages divided by string courses, with diagonal stepped buttresses in the lowest stage. Also in the lowest stage is a two-light arched west window. The middle stage has a small lancet window on the west side, and on all sides in the highest stage are two-light louvred bell openings. At the top of the tower is a battlemented parapet. The north porch is gabled, and in the north wall is a three-light ogee-headed window. On the south side of the nave are four windows of different types. The east window in the chancel has a three-light window containing Decorated (geometrical) tracery.

Internally there is a tall pointed tower arch. The ceiling is plain and plastered. Some 18th-century box pews are still present on the south side of the church, and there is also a two-tier pulpit.

See also

External links