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Repair joy for historic Oxfordshire church

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This is a text-only version of an article first published on Monday, 10 April 2017. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.


THE historic St Margaret of Antioch Church in Hinton Waldrist church is to receive £10,000 from the National Churches Trust. The grant will help to fund urgent repairs to make the roof watertight and enable it to be opened up for community use.

The church features in a set of Victorian photographs whose secrets were uncovered by Queen guitarist Brian May. St Margaret of Antioch is one of 29 churches and chapels in the UK to benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the UK church repair and support charity.

Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice-President of the National Churches Trust said: "I'm delighted that the future of St Margaret of Antioch, Hinton Waldrist, is being safeguarded by a £10,000 National Churches Trust Repair Grant. The funding will help ensure that this much loved historic church can continue at the heart of its rural community. At the heart of the nation's history and at the centre of local communities, churches and chapels are some of the UK's best loved local buildings. But their future is not guaranteed"

"The financial and practical support provided by the National Churches Trust helps many of UK's churches, chapels and meeting houses continue to flourish at the heart of their communities by preserving their architecture and keeping their facilities up to date.

"Everyone can make a contribution to the future of the UK's churches and chapels by volunteering to help look after these precious buildings. If you've got practical skills you could help clear drains and gutters, if you are a good communicator you could help show people the history and architecture of a local church or you could simply be a good neighbour and keep an eye out for vandals or thieves. Churches and chapels may be historic buildings, but they can be part of our future, too."

An early church on this site was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The earliest part of the current building are the thirteenth century nave, chancel, and western tower; the church has stood largely unchanged for 700 years. The tower houses six bells, some dating from 1709, which are regularly rung for services and by visiting ringers. A window in the south transept is dedicated to the memory of Airey Neave, who was the local MP and lived in Hinton Waldrist before his assassination in 1979.

Wall tablets dating from 1701 commemorate the Loder family who owned the manor for over 250 years. The Queen guitarist Brian May has been closely associated with Hinton Waldrist, through his research into the stereoscopic imagery of the Victorian photographer TR Williams who immortalised the village as a snapshot of a vanishing way of life in the 1850s. The National Churches Trust's £10,000 Repair Grant will help fund urgent and vital repairs to secure the roof and walls.

The stone slate roof will be renewed, woodwork repaired, and masonry repointed. The work means the church will be safe enough to remove from the Historic England Heritage At Risk Register. Securing the fabric of the building will enable continued worship and allow the church to become a welcoming focal point for the community. The rural community of 240 people have already managed to secure nearly £400,000, and anticipate increased interest in and use of their historic building.

A local historian has created a unique timeline recording the family histories for those from the village who were killed in both world wars, and future development will create a permanent home for the exhibition.

Page last updated: Tuesday 15th February 2022 4:05 PM
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