St Margaret's Ockley
We are putting in carpets, coffee area, glass door and other small things in order to make the church more warm and friendly.
If you would like to help towards the cost of this, please contact the Parish Office (tel: 712594) where Gill will tell you how you can do this in the most tax-efficient way.
St Margaret’s church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, is believed to date from 1291.
The original construction was simply a single aisle and sanctuary, of which probably only the south wall still remains. The porch was added around the 16th Century and the tower, despite its Norman appearance was added in 1700. The peal of six bells was hung in 1701. A replica of the tenor bell was shipped to America in 1752, and is now called ‘The Liberty Bell’ because it was rung to proclaim the Declaration of Independence. The famous herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, son of one of the Rectors was born in Ockley in 1616.
St Margaret’s used to have a gallery, but this was removed during major restoration work in 1872, together with the high box pews which were used for ‘the gentry’.
The church was enlarged by the addition of the north aisle and vestry, an organ was installed to replace the barrel-organ and the chancel was extended.
