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Churches of Berkshire
Bucklebury
St. Mary's Church
What a doorway! Bucklebury Church has the finest Norman entrance in the county and one of the best to be seen anywhere in England. Carved around 1150, it depicts row upon row of chevrons, rosettes, faces and flowers. It is topped by a strange bearded mask crowned with an orb and cross. High up on the tower there are further carvings, of the 15th century. One depicts a man combing a winch, the rebus of the Winchcombe descendants of the famous Jack O'Newbury. The family lived at Bucklebury House and they have a good collection of hatchments in the church: a relative rarity for Berkshire. Their funerary helms and swords, however, have been removed for security reasons. Note the window of the family pew which features a tiny fly. It looks real, but is painted on the glass. The old parish chest, hollowed from a single piece of wood, is said to have come from Reading Abbey. Bucklebury has the finest set of parish registers in the county dating from 1538. Vicars have included Guy Carleton, a 17th century Bishop of Bristol and Chichester.
Architecture: Early Norman church with 12th century North Chapel, 15th century tower and 18th century chancel.
Monuments: Sir Henry Winchcombe 1703 Heraldic.
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