[OBSCURA] richardr, "Death in the Afternoon"

[rfmcdonald]

Death in the Afternoon
Originally uploaded by richardr

"The church of St Mary the Virgin has stood on the same site ever since the 11th century, and the manor was held by Edward the Confessor until his death in 1066. After the Norman conquest the Royal manor was held by the King as part of the property of the Crown. In the ancient manuscript known as the Testa de Nevill there is a brief entry recording the gift by Henry I of his estate here, which included the church, to the Abbot and Convent of Reading. The 13th century saw the building of the north aisle, probably by the Knights Templars, who had a preceptory at Shalford, near Brimpton. A quaint carving over the north doorway (which has now been blocked) could represent the badge of the Master of the Order. The outstanding exterior feature of the church is the elaborately carved south Norman doorway inserted between 1150 and 1170. It shows a curious reversion to an earlier type in some of its ornamentation.

www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/bucklebury.html "