kids encyclopedia robot

St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
St Mary the Virgin
Steeple of St Mary the Virgin
Steeple of St Mary the Virgin
Country England, United Kingdom
Denomination Church of England
Website Official website: http://www.stmaryssaffronwalden.org/
History
Dedication Saint Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade I listed building
Designated 1951
Style Perpendicular
Specifications
Length 183ft (56m)
Height 193ft (59m)
Bells 12
Tenor bell weight 22-2-24 (1154kg) in D
Administration
Parish Saffron Walden
Diocese Chelmsford
Province Canterbury

St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Saffron Walden, Essex. It is the largest non-cathedral church in Essex with an overall length of 183 feet (56 m) and the spire, 193 feet (59 m) high, which is the tallest in Essex. It was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1951.

A Norman church was recorded in 1130, which in turn had replaced an earlier wooden structure. The building as it currently stands dates predominantly from a rebuilding between 1250 and 1258, with a further rebuilding in the Perpendicular style begun in about 1450, the latter stages supervised by John Wastell the master mason who was building King's College Chapel in the nearby city of Cambridge.

Saffron Walden - St. Mary's Church interior - geograph.org.uk - 273701
Interior

In 1769 the church was damaged by lightning. The repairs, carried out in the 1790s removed many medieval features but saved the building which was in a dilapidated state. The spire was added in 1832 to replace an older "lantern" tower to a design of Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson.

Thomas Cornell, progenitor of the American family bearing his name, was baptized in the church around 1592.

The Conservative politician Rab Butler (1902–82) is buried in the churchyard. He promulgated the Education Act 1944.

kids search engine
St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.