THE OFFORDS.
It was a fine sunny and warm September day in 2015, Ride and Stride Day, and I started off a three church Huntingdonshire crawl at Buckden before moving on to the nearby Offords. The Offords consist of Offord Cluny and Offord D’Arcy, adjoining villages which can be found on the east bank of the River Great Ouse between St Neots and Huntingdon; the latter to be found some five miles off to the north east.
Peterborough is around 25 miles to the north, making the villages here some of furthest to the south to be covered by my sites.
The villages were mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, with Offord Cluny recording a church and a priest with Offord D’Arcy having neither. At one point back in time the Offords were classed as a single village but were separate parishes from the 13th century until 2010 when they merged. The population of the Offords at the time of the 2021 census was 1385.
OFFORD CLUNY : CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS
Church Post Code PE19 5RR
Normally closed to visitors
Visited September 2015
Having started the morning at Buckden it was a very pleasant walk to Offord Cluny, and the church of All Saints, which can be found approximately two miles off to the east; passing just a scattering of houses and Buckden Marina on the way; with the marina being very busy on this warm and sunny Saturday. This is a very attractive area, with Grafham Water four miles or so away to the west; surprisingly peaceful as well considering that the A1 is close by to the west and the A14 off to the north.
As mentioned earlier, there was a church and priest mentioned at Offord Cluny at the time of the Domesday Survey. Nothing survives from that early church with the north and south arcades and the chancel arch all that remains of a 13th century rebuilding. The church that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel.
The south arcade dates from around 1260 with the north arcade dating from around 1280. The aisle walls are from that later date as well, but are much altered over the years.
The three stage west tower dates from the early 14th century with the clerestory being added in the 15th century. The chancel was rebuilt in 1726, with a date stamp on the gable recording that date. The old chancel was dilapidated with the north wall being blown down in a gale in 1717. The south porch is Victorian, with a date stamp of 1851. At that time an old lead spire was taken down which the parish register recorded as being ‘crooked and unsightly’.
The west tower is heavily buttressed and battlemented, with stair turret to the south west corner and fine three light west window. There are gargoyles and grotesques throughout, with some looking to be very ancient. One grotesque looks out through cavernous eye sockets with tongue out in gesture of insult.
A careful look at the exterior shows the previous roofline of the nave on the east wall of the tower, before the walls were heightened and the clerestory added and the chancel after its 18th century rebuilding. This rebuilt chancel is in brick as opposed to the rest of the church which is built in dressed pebble and stone rubble.
At the time of Revd Owen’s look at the church bells in Huntingdonshire; which was published in 1899 there were four bells in the ring here, with that still being the case today. The first three of the ring were cast in 1630 by James Keene, who worked out of Bedford but this date was very close to his foundry moving to Woodstock in Oxfordshire.
Each of the three are inscribed, with the inscription on the first reading ‘Ievs Be Our Sped’ which should read ‘Jesus Be Our Speed’. The second reads ‘Praise The Lord’ with the third inscribed ‘God Save Our King’.
The fourth of the ring is dated 1842 and was cast by the Mears foundry in London. This was a recasting of a previous bell which had been cast by Miles Graye I of Colchester in 1624. Owen notes that church records recorded this bell as being ‘cracked and useless’ prior to it being recast.
This is a very pleasant exterior, which was photographed on the most glorious of Saturday mornings. It was very warm and humid, shirtsleeve weather with the prospects of storms later in the day. I went out of the church grounds through a stile in to a field to the south of the church; just enjoying the warmth and the peace. The sky was beautiful with just a few wispy clouds, white vapour tails adding to the picture.
The church here is normally closed to visitors out of service times but was open on this Ride and Stride Saturday.
Moving inside, there are three bay arcades to north and south, with as mentioned each of these dating from the 13th century with these along with the chancel arch which dates from the same period being the oldest surviving parts of the present structure. The north arcade has circular piers with octagonal capitals. The south arcade has octagonal piers and octagonal capitals. In terms of architecture, the chancel arch is in keeping with the north arcade.
Looking to the west the tower arch is tall slim and elegant, with the arch itself partitioned off with an oak doorway and screen. Glancing upwards, feathered angels with hands raised in blessing look out from the nave roof.
The rebuilt chancel does not retain its sedilia, piscina or aumbry. The east window is Victorian, and has four panels depicting the symbols of the four evangelists; with the Holy Spirit descending from upon high in the tracery. Against the north wall of the chancel is a two light window which has stained glass showing Jesus, dressed in a red cloak, symbolic of the blood shed for us. He holds a baby, with one hand raised in blessing, with alongside a mother urging her daughter to approach Jesus.
The reredos is oak which is flanked on each side by a green curtain. The altar is flanked on the east wall by a depiction of the crucifixion to the north and a plaque which reads ‘My Grace Is Sufficient For Thee’ to the south.
The east end of the south aisle is set out as a commemorative chapel with a modern stained glass window added in remembrance of those who served at RAF Graveley, the former site of which is over the fields to the south east of the Offords. A close look at this window shows that it incorporates the towers of each of the Offord churches within its design.
Having a look around the church grounds, there is nothing of any great interest or importance, with nothing having its own Grade II Listing. I will mention one stone though which has the twin symbols of hourglass and ouroboros. The hour glass is a symbol of the mortality of Man; Tempus Fugit, time flies, this being a reminder to the onlooker that they will go the same way as the deceased. The ouroboros is a serpent with its tail in its mouth and was used to symbolise the cycle of death and rebirth. In between these symbols are two further; a palm frond which symbolises victory, with the victory here being over death and a sapling rising up symbolising new life. The four taken together shows the cycle of life and death; with death being an inevitable part of life, with victory over death for those who believe and trust in Christ.
OFFORD D'ARCY : CHURCH OF ST PETER
Church Post Code PE19 5RH
Open by prior arrangement
REDUNDANT : CARED FOR BY THE CHURCHES CONSERVATION TRUST.
It was time to head off, making the very short walk to the church of St Peter at Offord D’Arcy. The church here is redundant and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust with All Saints being the parish church for the Offords since 1978. Unlike many churches run by the Churches Conservation Trust, the church of St Peter is not generally open to visitors and arrangements for visiting will need to be sorted out in advance with the good folk at the CCT.
As mentioned earlier there was no church recorded here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086; however it was not too long afterwards that the structure that we see today was built. That early structure, which dates from the first half of the 12th century, consisted of nave and chancel with north aisle. During the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt and the south aisle was added. The west tower and spire were added between 1370 and 1380 and south porch was also added during the 14th century. The north aisle was rebuilt in the 15th century, with the height of the walls being raised and clerestories added at that time.
Mid Victorian restoration included the church being re roofed throughout with the spire also being rebuilt at that time.
The structure that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel. The west tower is battlemented with ancient headless gargoyles at the corners. A tall slender recessed broach spire rises up, which has two tiers of gables lucarne windows.
A frieze runs across the top of the nave, this being of a repeated ballflower design, with two beastlike gargoyles. The clerestory takes the form of four two light trefoil windows. The east window is of three lights.
Owen noted three bells here in his study from 1899 but it was recorded that in 1724 there were four bells in the ring here. The first of the ring was cast by Christopher Gray who worked out of Haddenham Cambridgeshire in 1676. The second is from Tobias Norris I from the Stamford bell foundry, with this being inscribed ‘MEROREM MESTIS LETIS SICC LETA SONABO’ which translates as ‘sadly to the sad and joyous to the joyful will I sound’.
The third in the ring was cast by William Haulsey of St Ives in 1620. This has the inscription ‘CVM CANO BVSTA MORI CVM PULPITA VIVERE DISCE’. This translates as ‘When I call for a funeral, learn how to die; when for a service learn how to live’. Thanks to the CCT guidebook for this translation as I was struggling with this one.
Entrance is through the south porch, with a pair of ancient heads looking on at those entering through the south door. It was bright and welcoming inside, with the lack of stained glass here helping in this respect.
The north arcade is of three bays and dates from around 1130, although the most western bay is a little later. Round headed arches rests on substantial square piers with square capitals. The south arcade is of four bays, and different in style with pointed arches, piers of four shafts and moulded capitals.
Moving in to the chancel, the east window is of three lights and clear glass. The altar is plain and simple, with just a cross and candlesticks, with a white altar cloth. Against the south wall of the chancel is a 13th century double piscina. The piscina would have been used in washing the Holy vessels used in the mass in pre reformation times and the second piscina of the double would have been used for the priest washing his hands.
There is no sedilia though, the seating for the priests during the mass, which would have been also against the south wall, immediately to the west of the piscina.
Looking at the south aisle there is a piscina against the south wall showing that there would have been an altar here in which the mass was given. There is also a sedilia here as well which takes the form of a lowered window sill.
Against the north wall is a very interesting double grave slab, which used to lay on an altar tomb under an arch in the south wall. This is thought to date from around 1370 and depicts a male and female figure; I daresay husband and wife. They each have their hands crossed over their chests and their feet each rest on mythical creatures, possibly dragons. Looking at the date of this it is fascinating to think that the people commemorated on this slab would have lived at the time of, and survived, the Black Death of 1348/49 which is estimated to have killed between a third and a half of the population of England. What times they must have lived through!
There are a few memorial brasses here as well, with one to Revd William Taylard who died in 1532. He was the vicar here and is depicted in his academic robes, oversized hands at prayer. There is also memorial brasses to Laurence Pabenham who died in 1400; he is dressed in armour flanked by his two wives, all of whom are at prayer.
Throughout the interior are a scattering of stone heads, some contorted in anguish with one sporting a haircut which reminded me of Edmund in the first series of Blackadder, with curious eyes which look off in different directions.
The church grounds are of interest, but care needs to be taken when exploring due to uneven underfoot conditions! There are some finely carved Georgian stones here, mainly of angels in flight; covered in lichen of various colours. As with All Saints there is nothing of any great rarity in the grounds but mention should be made of a stone trough against the south wall of the chancel, which I originally thought was a coffin but which at a second glance, appears to be a little too wide and too shallow to be as such!
Three churches visited and three open, albeit with the two in the Offords open due to the occasion! It was good to see them open and each are worth taking a look at if you get the chance.
It was a pleasant walk back to Buckden then a two bus journey back to Peterborough with a brief exploration of Huntingdon whilst waiting for my connection back to Peterborough. An enjoyable day out!