Medieval Wall Paintings in Checkendon, Oxfordshire

There I was, driving around looking for Medieval brasses for a new project I'm working on, and we pull up at St Peter and Paul church in Checkendon, Oxfordshire. I make my way into the churchyard, push open the lovely old door and walk gingerly inside. I nearly dropped my camera. 

This beautiful old church in the middle of the countryside that I'd never heard of before has REAL MEDIEVAL WALL PAINTINGS that I'd also never heard of before. 

Look how GORGEOUS they are. 

Said to date from the late eleventh century, the church has some original features, although the tower is fifteenth century. It's thought that a church may even have stood here since Saxon times. 

The ceiling is another beautiful feature, with gold ornaments tucked up amid the timbers.

The paintings are thought to date from the early 1200s, but the Internet tells me that they underwent some heavy 'restoration' in the 1950s and I think that's obvious from the style and the intensity of some of the faces, particularly this one, maybe: 

It just goes to show, what gems you can find as you drive through the countryside. 

Enjoyed this? You might also like: Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England, Where Was Reading's Lost Castle? and Urban Sketching at St Mary's Church, Purley on Thames. 

Are you interested in the Medieval era? I explore many of the women who lived during the time of the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century in my book Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses, published by Pen and Sword. Order your copy here. 

Never want to miss a post? Subscribe to my newsletter here: