Teddington and Alstone Parish Council.

There is also a carved stone boss of a man=s head on the south wall, typically 13th century in style, and a curious feature is the carving of a human ear set in the wall behind the pulpit (the preacher will know that at least someone is listening!).
The chancel appears to be of the same date as the nave but the chancel arch, perhaps the most striking part of the church, is earlier. The columns of the arch have finely moulded bases and scalloped capitals decorated with a rectangular pattern. These columns, of which only the north one is original, must be 12th century.

The East window has two threefold lights from the 1250's and the south window of the chancel is of Jacobean construction. The chancel also contains a 12th century piscina. The south door is a fine 12th century piece, with the distinctive pattern of the chancel arch repeated on the door shafts and the lintel. The porch before this door is dated 1621.

The wooden bell tower, dating from the 1700's, is rectangular with a hipped roof and as a project for the year 2000 Millennium celebrations the movement of the church clock which chimes the hours was electrified. This will obviate the hazardous once a week ascent of a tall ladder for the mechanism to be wound by hand. The entire wooden floor of the church was replaced in February 1992 after the discovery of extensive wet and dry rot in the supporting joists. Re-roofing of the church is also proposed.

CHURCHES RICH IN HISTORY...

St Nicholas's Church, Teddington
From the outside St Nicholas=s Church, Teddington, appears an unexceptional building but the interior provides several items of particular interest. The oldest part is undoubtedly the semi-circular chancel arch which is Anglo-Saxon in design, if not in actual date. The high, stilted arch is similar to examples in the famous Saxon church at nearby Deerhurst and dates from the late 11th century or early 12th century.

The nave was probably built in the 13th century, although the north door appears to be considerably older. On the porch side are two carved head stops - one a man=s head, the other a dragon - which are both in a style prevalent after the Normal Conquest. The chancel itself is probably 14th century and has a contemporary east window with three trefoiled ogee lights. There are two windows of Jacobean design on both the north and south walls, the former bearing fragments of 17th century glass.

The commonwealth period seems to have been a time of some expenditure on the church. The two windows are dated 1654 and the fine pulpit is inscribed with the names of churchwardens in office in 1655. The altar rails and priest=s stall are Jacobean. On the front of the desk is carved “Quench ye not the spirit. Despise not prophesying.” On the side is “Pray continually”.

The west end is an interesting mixture of styles. The west window itself if 14th century” The east end of the tower vault rests on a pair of 13th century clustered columns, four each side with a pointed arch above. There is a story that the columns may have been taken from the ruins of Hailes Abbey, near Winchcombe, after the dissolution of the monasteries.
The early 15th century tower is castellated and has fine gargoyle water spouts. There are two bells, one inscribed “Christus est Via, Veritas, Vita 1605" and the other “God save King James 1609". The porch leading to the north door is of 13th century design and the roofs of both chancel and nave are of the trussed rafter type, probably 14th century. The base and stem of the font are 14th century although the bowl is modern.

A striking feature of St Nicholas=s Church is a fine mural of the arms of William and Mary covering much of the south wall of the nave. A modern addition is the striking altar front, which is the work of the leading ecclesiastical embroiderer, Jacquie Binns, who also created the pulpit fall in memory of the Garvey family of Teddington, tragically murdered in 1993.
The church has undergone a substantial programme of refurbishment and repair in recent years. The nave and porch have been re-roofed, the windows re-leaded and the lighting upgraded.

Church of St Margaret at Alstone
The Original church of St Margaret at Alstone dates from the 12th century but it was extensively rebuilt in the 13th century and further modernisation and enlargement were undertaken around 1600. The dates at which the rebuilding took place coincide directly with two great periods of economic and population growth in England, when churches were found to be too small to cope with the numbers of parishioners.

The nave dates from the 13th century. The south wall contains two late 16th/17th century windows. The most westerly of these contains fragments of 15th century stained glass, the only place where medieval glass survives in the parish.