Church, Chapel and Meeting House
South Newington's Church of England parish church is one of only 15 in England dedicated to St Peter ad Vincula ("St Peter in Chains"), after the basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. It was originally a small late Norman church. At the end of the 13th century it was considerably extended and the bell tower was added. Further additions were made in the second half of the 15th century. The tower has a ring of five bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1656.
Around 1330–40 several very fine wall paintings were painted in the north aisle, probably commissioned by Thomas Giffard, lord of the smaller manor in South Newington, and his wife Margaret Mortayne. Over the chancel arch there are fragments of a Doom painting from the same period, but very little of it has survived. In the 15th or 16th century a Passion Cycle was painted in the nave above the arches to the north aisle. Its artistry is not of the same standard as the paintings in the north aisle, but it is of interest and some of its pictures show scenes not seen in passion cycles elsewhere.
St. Peter ad Vincula was granted to the Benedictine abbey at Eynsham in the 1160s, and remained one of its possessions until the abbey was suppressed in the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538. In 1565 the advowson was passed to Exeter College, Oxford, which retained it until 1979. St. Peter ad Vincula is now part of a single Church of England benefice with the parishes of Bloxham and Milcombe.
By 1663 South Newington had a small group of Quakers. In 1692 they built a Friends Meeting House, in which they continued to meet until 1825. In 1925 the house was sold to the village, which converted it into the village hall.
A Wesleyan congregation existed in the village by 1834. By 1854 the congregation was leasing the disused Friends' Meeting House for its meetings, and from 1857 it was reported to be Primitive Methodist. In 1875 the congregation opened its own Primitive Methodist Chapel. The chapel was closed in about 1939 and is now a private house.
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