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Experience St Anne's Church Oxenhall

St. Anne's surmounts a small, pronounced hill above the Ell brook in the South of the parish. The medieval church had a chancel, a West tower with recessed spire and a tall nave with South porch. 

The Norman South doorway with typical tympanan suggests the nave was build in the 11th or 12th century. Added in the 14th century, the tower contains two bells from that period.

In 1865, it was decided to rebuild the church as by that time the old walls were leaning badly. Only the tower was considered worth saving. The nave, chancel and South porch were rebuilt during 1866 and 1867 to designs by John Middleton of Cheltenham.

The work was carried out for a total cost of 925 pounds, a principal benefactor being Mr. R. F. Onslow, a wealthy landowner in the parish. The tower was restored at the same time and again in 1912 when the tenor bell was recast by Llewellins & James of Bristol.

In 1972 due to extensive repairs required on the spire, the top part was removed and the remainder a few years later after a hugh fund-raising campaign.

In 1972 the spire was found to be unsafe and was truncated. Building work to secure the safety of the tower was completed in 1985 after a huge fund-raising campaign.

More recently the chancel was re-roofed in 2009 and the nave, porch and Lych gate in 2010/2011 at total cost of £103,201.

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(The picture above is of the church c 1840 with kind permission of Gloucestershire Archives www.gloucestershire.gov.uk reference number (GPS/241/3)

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