HEADINGTON’S oldest church is getting a £100,000 restoration after a major donation from supporters.

Work has started at St Andrew’s Church in Old Headington to restore the 16th century bell tower.

The Friends of St Andrew’s, which fundraises throughout the year to preserve the building, is providing all the money for the work, almost £100,000.

Vicar at the parish Father Darren McFarland said the group worked hard to raise the money to help maintain the listed building.

He added: “It has taken about two weeks to put up the scaffolding.

“Usually with scaffolding you will secure it to the side of the building, but with this it is a self-supporting structure because it can’t touch the tower.”

The work on the bell tower began last week and will continue until October but the church is still open to visitors and services will still take place.

Father McFarland added: “The bells are still up there and the church is still open.

“We’re getting to the busy period of the wedding season so some people may grumble, but it’s still a beautiful church inside.”

Churchwarden Helen Small said: “I’m delighted that St Andrew’s will be restored to its former glory.

“We hope that it will bring pleasure to the community for years to come.”

The tower dates back to the 1500s, and work on it occurred in the 1700s and again in the 1960s. But when restoration work was completed on the tower more than 50 years ago, builders used cement which damaged the facade.

The comprehensive renovation will include mortar repairs as well as renovating the tower’s historic clock.

Father McFarland regularly changes the flags on the tower to commemorate special occasions.

During St Andrew’s Day last November, the church flew the Scottish Saltire and on Tuesday Father McFarland flew the Welsh national flag.

He explained: “A member of the congregation is an avid Welshman and his wife is expecting a baby.

“You can see the tower from the John Radcliffe maternity unit, so I thought I would fly the Welsh flag.”

St Andrew’s Church is one of the oldest parishes in Oxford, with Roman tile work possibly dating back 1,700 years.

The church is also thought to have been where King Ethelred I of Wessex was christened in the ninth century.