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St Andrew, Sandford on Thames, Oxfordshire

Location
St Andrew C of E Church, 46 Church Rd, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxford OX4 4XZ, United Kingdom (51°42′42″N, 1°13′43″W)
Sandford on Thames
SP 533 017
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Oxfordshire
now Oxfordshire
medieval St Andrew
now St Andrew
  • Ron Baxter
  • Ron Baxter
17 November 2023

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Feature Sets
Description

Sandford is a village on the River Thames, on the southern outskits of Oxford. The church is in the centre of the village and consists of a W tower, a nave with a 2-bay N aisle and a S porch, and a chancel with a 19thc organ room and vestry on the N side. The church was originally built c.1100, and the S and (reset) N doorways along with a S chancel window are from that building. The porch bears a date of 1652, but most of the additions to the church are 19thc. There was a major restoration by J. Derick in 1840, when the W tower was built to replace a wooden structiure, and the chancel arch was rebuilt. Next in 1865 J. Brooks added the N aisle. and in 1893 the N vestry was added. Romanesqque features described here are the 2 nave doorways and the chancel window.

History

In 1086 Wynric held Sandford-on-Thames from the Abbey of Abingdon. It was assessed at 10 hides with woodland and 2 fisheries in addition. Before the Conquest it was held by Blaecmann the priest from the abbey. A further 2 hides were held by Hugh the Cook in 1086. Wynric, holder of most of the manor in 1086, has been identified as Gueres de Palences (VCH). At some point it seems that an heir took the name of Sandford as his own. This first occurs in 1111 when we hear of Robert de Sandford and his son Jordan. In 1150-60 Robert de Sandford founded Littlemore Priory. In 1240 Thomas de Sandford gave all his lands at Sandford to the Order of the Temple at Cowley, and when that order was dissolved in 1312 its lands were transferred to the Hospitallers.

The church was founded by Gueres de Palences (i.e. Wynric) and the advowson remained in lay hands until some time before 1220, when Littlemore claimed it.

Features

Exterior Features

Doorways

Windows

Comments/Opinions

The two doorways are similar in design although the S is wider than the N, which must always have been difficult of access for some. The simple design and narrow aspect are typical of late-11thc and early-12thc doorways in the West Midlands.

Bibliography

Historic England Listed Building, English Heritage Legacy ID: 246513

L. Shatford, The Parish Church of St Andrew, Sandford on Thames: a historical guide,

  1. J. Sherwood and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, Harmondsworth 1974,

Victoria County History: Oxfordshire 5 (1957), 267-75.