Church of St Mary, Bibury facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary
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Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Designated	26 January 1961
Administration
Parish	Bibury
Diocese	Gloucester
Province	Canterbury

The Church of St Mary is a beautiful old church in Bibury, a village in Gloucestershire, England. It belongs to the Church of England. This church was built a very long time ago, in the 11th century! It's so important that it's officially protected as a Grade I listed building. This means it's a special historic building.

History of the Church

The first church in Bibury was built way back in 899. The current church, which shows Anglo-Saxon architecture style, was mostly built in the mid to late 1000s. Over the years, more parts were added.

This church used to belong to a monastery called Osney Abbey. But in the 1500s, during a time called the dissolution of the monasteries, the church became property of the Crown.

In 1863, a famous architect named George Gilbert Scott helped restore the church. This was part of a "Victorian restoration," which means it was updated in the style popular during Queen Victoria's reign. More updates happened later in the 1800s. In 1920, the church organ was moved to a different part of the building.

Today, the church is part of the South Cotswold area. It belongs to the Diocese of Gloucester, which is a larger church district.

Church Design and Features

The Church of St Mary is made from limestone, a type of rock. Its roof is made of stone tiles. The church has a main open area called a nave. On either side of the nave are narrower sections called aisles. Above the aisles, there's a row of windows called a clerestory, which lets in light.

At the front of the church is the chancel, where the altar is. There's also a porch on the south side. The church tower is in the north-west corner. It has strong supports called buttresses. Inside the tower is a belfry from the 1400s, where the bells are kept.

You can see a special Saxon stone grave slab built into the north wall. Four other similar Saxon slabs from the church are now kept in the British Museum.

The north doorway of the church was built around 1180.

Inside the church, you'll find many interesting things. The font, used for baptisms, is from the 1200s. It's unusual because it's square, and its sides have carvings of arches. The oldest stained glass windows are also from the 1200s. More recent stained glass was made by artists like Thomas Willement and William Wailes. One window, made by Karl Parsons in 1927, was even featured on a Christmas stamp in 1992!