Major restorations and renovations of the Ovingham Church were undertaken between1855 and 1870. The beautiful stained glass windows and the "new" organ were also installed during the Victorian era. The sculpture over the porch door of Mary and the young Jesus welcoming people to St. Mary the Virgin Church was created in 1987 by Daniel Oates. In 1990 in celebration of the millennium of the church's Saxon tower, a new window, by Leonard Evetts, was installed.Ovingham Church Today
Ovingham's St. Mary the Virgin Church has lasted through Viking
attacks;
Norman invasions; Scottish border raids; two communities of monks,
separated
by six centuries, living a life of worship, fellowship and
service;
the ravages of the Reformation; the Puritan interval; the Restoration;
shifts in organization and control; several rebellions; industrial and
technological upheavals; and numerous internal disputes. And
still
the church at Ovingham persist. Its proud integration of Saxon
Tower,
Norman doorway and Early English nave and chancel, illuminated by its
Victorian-era
stained glass and modern restorations bear witness to the vision,
courage
and commitment of its lay people and clergy, who have, in every
generation
for over 13 centuries, made of Ovingham's St. Mary the Virgin, a living
church.
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