Church of St Mary, Letchworth facts for kids
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a very old church in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. It's part of the Church of England. People believe there has been a church on this spot since before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The church you see today was mostly built in the late 1100s. It's a special building, officially listed as a Grade II historic site.
This church is the oldest building in the Letchworth area. Inside, it's about 60 feet long. The church was even mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, which was a big survey of England. Some parts of the building are from the 1000s, and it's built on top of even older Saxon ruins. Most of the church we see now was built in the late 12th century. Its roof was replaced in the 1400s, and a south porch was added around that time too.
What Makes the Church Special?
The church has a main area called a nave and a smaller area near the altar called a chancel. At the west end of the church, there's a wooden tower with a tiled roof, called a bell-cot. Inside this tower is a bell that dates all the way back to the 1300s!
The outside of the church is made from flint and ironstone rocks. It also has special stone blocks and brick supports called buttresses. The windows in the nave have a unique "Y" shape design. The porch has a square doorway with carved shields above it. Inside the church, on a window sill, there's a carved statue of a knight named Sir Richard de Montfichet. People say his heart is buried under the church.
St Mary's and Letchworth Garden City
After 1903, the small village of Letchworth changed a lot. This was because Letchworth Garden City was being built. As the new town grew, a "mission church" called St Michael's was opened in 1908. It was closer to the new town centre.
Later, a new St Michael's church was built on Broadway and opened in 1967. This new church became the main church for the area in November 1967. St Mary's then became a "chapel of ease." This means it was still used for services but was no longer the main parish church. The 1960s St Michael's church had some problems and closed in December 2019, but St Mary's church is still used today.
Notable Burials
- W. F. Harvey (1885-1937), a writer known for horror stories, is buried in the churchyard.
