St Matthew, Coates, 01285 770235

Detail from Thames Head, Boydell, 1794.
St Matthew Coates in the background

The qualifications of this church to be included as the first of the Thames Churches is evidenced by this part of a print of Thames Head in 1794.  The Tower can just be seen to the left

The church can also just be seen on the skyline in the woodcut of 'The church and Village of Cotes' in 1859 (Mr & Mrs S C Hall).  The water is the Thames and Severn Canal with Thames Head to the left.

The church and Village of Cotes, 1859

The tower and the chancel were built between 1316 & 1361 with an anthropophagous (don't ask!) on the west side of the tower. Norman arch, Early English aisle, & baptistery with an original Norman font and stone seat. The church was restored in 1861.
TO SEE.
Perpendicular tower.
13th century piscina.
Norman font.
Norman doorway.
The village of Coates must have been a prosperous place in the late Middle ages, if one can judge by the impressive early 15th century tower and the sheer scale of the parish church of St Matthew's. In truth, the church seems disproportionately large for such a small village, but that is true of many areas of the Cotswolds, an area made rich by the wool trade in the later medieval period. The tower is the most impressive feature of St Matthew's; it features some very nice crocketted pinnacles and amusing series of grotesque carvings (you might want a pair of binoculars to properly enjoy the carvings near the top of the tower). .
The oldest parts of St Matthew's church is the nave, which dates to the 13th century. There are good Perpendicular windows throughout the church, some decorated with stained glass by the Clayton and Bell company, one of the most famous of the Victorian stained glass manufacturers. The south doorway is Norman, with the arch decorated with traditional chevron decoration. .
The nave is of three bays, with very nice columns with carved capitals and bases sculpted to hold water in small hollows. There are attractive carved heads at the angle of the chancel arches. There is a small 13th century piscina and a simple Norman font. The chancel screen retains fragments of an earlier Tudor screen.