Parish Church
Shirburn had a parish church by the 12th century. Between 1146 and 1163 the church seems to have been given to Dorchester Abbey. The oldest part of the present Church of England parish church of All Saints is the bell tower, which seems to be Norman except for the upper stage, which is 18th-century. In the 13th century the north and south aisles and arcades were added to the nave. In 1876 the architect T.H. Wyatt restored the building at the expense of the Earl of Macclesfield. In 1943 All Saints' parish was combined with that of St. Mary's, Pyrton. The combined parish is now part of the Benefice of Icknield. All Saints' church was made redundant in 1995 and now belongs to the Churches Conservation Trust.
Read more about this topic: Shirburn
Famous quotes containing the words parish and/or church:
“There is not a single crowned head in Europe whose talents or merit would entitle him to be elected a vestryman by the people of any parish in America.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“That poor little thing was a good woman, Judge. But she just sort of let life get the upper hand. She was born here and she wanted to be buried here. I promised her on her deathbed she’d have a funeral in a church with flowers. And the sun streamin’ through a pretty window on her coffin. And a hearse with plumes and some hacks. And a preacher to read the Bible. And folks there in church to pray for her soul.”
—Laurence Stallings (1804–1968)