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©Richard Slessor
The churchyard is extensive with sections both north and south of the church. It isn't full either so if you were to pass into the next life after choking on a fishbone, from a nice sockeye salmon perhaps, they could probably find space for you here.
©Brian Robert Marshall
Named after its long, narrow, willow like leaves, the willowherb grows as an upright spike covered with pink flowers. Rosebay willowherb, or fireweed, was a rare native species which suddenly began to spread in about 1860, perhaps as a result of genetic change; it is now everywhere, except the far west of Ireland, and is abundant on waste land round towns, in cleared woodland and road side verges.
©Trish Steel
Wildflowers grow amongst the churchyard monuments including Rosebay Willowherb and Evening Primrose. The yellow flowers of the Evening Primrose are often more than 2" in diameter. Introduced as a garden flower from North America, it has spread widely in England, Wales and southern Scotland, especially on sand dunes and waste places. Evening primrose is more closely related to the willowherb than to the primrose family. It grows 2-3 ft tall on stems full of pith and the fragrant flowers which open on summer evenings and are pollinated by night-flying moths.
©Trish Steel
The Cotswold stone wall around the churchyard makes a wonderful backdrop to the many rose bushes that are growing against it.
©Trish Steel
There are many old lichen covered gravestones within the churchyard. Lichens do not have roots, but absorb water and gases through their upper surface, and are therefore sensitive to atmospheric pollution. For this reason they are rarely found around cities and grow best on the wetter west side of the British Isles. Those on trees thrive best on the sunny, south-west aspects of trunks and branches. Disappearance of lichen species can be used to detect rising levels of air pollution. There are three main types. The encrusting forms, including the bright orange/dark yellow 'Xanthoria' grow on roofs, walls, gravestones, signs and tree trunks. Leaf-like species develop flat lobes spreading over bark or stones, and shrubby forms which grow vertically from the ground or hang from trees. Few have common names.
©Trish Steel
The church has its origins in the 12th century, since then it has been remodelled several times. The most radical remodelling took place in 1875-8 when central tower was removed and south tower and spire added.
©Trish Steel
The eagle is a symbol of the resurrection or ascension of Christ due to the fact that it soars upwards. By extension, the eagle symbolises baptised Christians, who have symbolically died and risen with Christ.
©Trish Steel
The church has Saxon origins although the present design owes more to Norman times. The church has received attention at various times in the intervening centuries including the construction of a new tower and spire in 1874. Despite the passage of more than a millennium it remains in, thankfully, unbashed condition, unlike, for example poor Salisbury Cathedral or St Mary's Church, Bloxham. There is an extensive description in the Images of England listing http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=315056
©Brian Robert Marshall
William Tasker was a gentleman of sufficient influence that he was able to act out verse 10 of Psalm 84 upon his departure from this life.
©Brian Robert Marshall
St Paul is seen here with the traditional sword and book. The former may represent the manner of his death - as a Roman citizen due for execution in Nero's time he was accorded the dubious honour of being beheaded rather than crucified according to some sources. The book indicates that he wrote a lot of epistles. He has been sharing the south porch with SS Bartholomew and St Peter since 1919.
©Brian Robert Marshall
St Peter is on the left of the entrance into the south porch. He is holding the key to Heaven, although only since St Bartholomew's Day 1919 in this location.
©Brian Robert Marshall
The plaque on the south porch makes more of the donors of the three statues than the statues themselves. For the record they are SS Bartholomew, Peter and Paul.
©Brian Robert Marshall
St Bartholomew hasn't been at St Bartholomew's that long having been placed here on St Bartholomew's Day in 1919. Although St Bartholomew was one of the twelve Apostles he doesn't get much of a mention in the New Testament. Perhaps St Bartholomew is more famous for having a 1572 massacre named after him. St Bartholomew shares the south porch with SS Peter and Paul, who are much more famous.
©Brian Robert Marshall
This attractive bird shows how the wind blows from a considerable height above the ground.
©Brian Robert Marshall

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