Iffley

 From our mooring above Iffley Lock we took the short walk into the very pleasant village of Iffley

 St Mary's Church and Rectory bathed in glorious sunshine but oh, was that wind biting cold!

St Mary the Virgin is a 12th century church whose structure remains more or less as it was when built in the style of the late Romanesque period.

Most of the stained glass in St Mary's is Victorian ...

... but this one is more recent

Eye of God Window

As we entered the church and turned towards the choir the sun through those windows illuminated the cross on the altar. Originally the congregation would have stood at the services; pews would have been added by the Victorians

The Choir showing detail of the ceiling carvings

The 15th C staircase led to a platform across the church on which a large crucifix would

have been set

 Very impressive carvings ...

... around all the doors and windows

... this one also with very slender pillars

A memorial to James Henry Child who died on 7th October 1886 (one day less than 125 years before the day I took this photograph) aged 63. He died at Iffley Lock where he was the lock keeper.

 It is believed to be possible that the gravestone shown here is the 13th C grave of a female hermit called Annora; there is apparently documentary evidence that this lady lived in Iffley from 1232- 1241

 We continued our walk through the village past the thatched building that was once the school and is now the church hall

 These Geese (Greylag and 'table') were marching with a purpose as we returned to the towpath

and this was one of two geese that we found peering through the galley window!!