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The chapel of Sottewell is first named
in 1158 as a dependency of the church of St Lucian in Wallingford which
belonged to the Priory of St Frideswide in Oxford. The chapelry continued to be
annexed to St Leonard's in Wallingford after the disappearance of St Lucien's
following the plague of 1348 which decimated the town. In 1868 it was further
separated from St Leonard's and on May 14th, by order of Council was united to
Brightwell. - VCH Berkshire, Vol 3, 1923
The present building differs greatly
from the structure which for many centuries stood on the site previously. On
11th June 1883, what was then described as "a miserable old structure" was
pulled down. "The walls had bulged in many places, being largely composed of
wattle and mud (see picture below). - Diary of Francis
Cunningham
Gone was the dark interior with its
eighteenth century high boxed pews and central two-decker pulpit taking
precedence over the simple communion table. The slightly curved plaster ceiling
was un-ornamented but provided a good acoustic for the trio accompanying the
services, sitting in the gallery at the west end of the nave. A personal
reminiscence of a parishioner who worshipped in the previous building
remembered 'a fiddle, a flute and an accordian, hot summer days and long
sermons. In winter the doors were shut tight to keep out the draughts and feet
were warmed by hot bricks wrapped in flannel'. -
Mrs Mercy
Brooker, formerly verger and keeper of the communion plate until her death in
1953 in her 90th year.
"Even though we may lament the
destruction of such an ancient building, the old edifice was in advanced stages
of decay. According to a contemporary witness, it was beyond repair and during
demolition was, in fact, found to be unsafe. Had not rebuilding been
undertaken, it is certain that the fine features which were retained from the
original church would have been irrevocably lost." -
Extracts from the Church Guide.
The most notable inheritance from the
old church are the 14th century roof timbers, which the Victorians preserved
intact, "being simply raised six feet from its original height by leverage" -
Abingdon Herald 27.9.1884 - What a shame the same
Victorian ingenuity and engineering could not see the merit in preserving more
of the interior - EMLM |
