Church of St Mary, Stotfold facts for kids
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a special old church in Stotfold, a town in Bedfordshire, England. It's the main church for people living in Stotfold and nearby Fairfield. This church is part of the Church of England and belongs to the Diocese of St Albans. It's also a very important historical building, officially called a Grade II* listed building. This means it's protected because of its history and beauty.
Contents
Discovering St Mary's Church
The church building you see today is very old. It was first built around the year 1150. A person named Payn de Beauchamp, who started Chicksands Priory, gave this church to the Priory.
Before this stone church, there were likely older wooden churches on the same spot. How do we know? Around 1890, during digging inside the church, workers found a Saxon coffin. It had human bones inside! This shows people have worshipped here for a very long time.
How the Church Grew Over Time
The main part of the church, called the nave, was built in 1150. You can still see hints of a small chapel that was once on the north-east side. The church is made from flint stones. It also uses special Ashwell clunch stone for parts like the buttresses, which are supports on the outside walls. The church's style is mostly Early Perpendicular, a type of English Gothic architecture.
- 1320: A new section, called the north aisle, was added. This section included the small chapel.
- Around 1370: The south aisle was made bigger. Workers opened up the side walls with arches. You can still see the original outer walls on two thick pillars that were left to support the roof.
- Around 1450: The tall tower was built. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, was also made wider. The baptismal font, where baptisms happen, is also thought to be from this time. It has eight sides and pretty panels.
- Around 1480: The walls and windows of the clerestory were added. This is the upper part of the nave with windows that let in light. The old thatched roof of the nave was replaced with a lead roof.
Sadly, most of the beautiful stained glass from the Middle Ages was broken during the English Civil War. Only a few small pieces remain in one of the north aisle windows.
Changes and Discoveries
Around 1824, a lot of work was done on the church. The roof of the north aisle was plastered. The old carvings and the 400-year-old wooden pews were replaced. A local builder named William Seymour from Arlesey did this work.
At the same time, old paintings on the walls were covered up or destroyed. These paintings showed scenes like St. George and the Dragon. The walls were then covered with wooden panels. Luckily, these panels were removed in 1932, revealing the old walls again.
In 1890, the chancel was rebuilt, and its floor was raised a bit. The north porch, which was an entrance, was taken down. No one knows why today. In 1910, a clock was put in the tower. It was a memorial to a former priest, Rev. John Holding. The beautiful stained glass in the east window also remembers him.
The Church Bells
The church tower originally had five bells. Over time, some bells were moved. One bell went to a nearby church in Arlesey, and another went to Astwick.
In 1948, some of the bells needed fixing. A bell made in 1651 by Miles Graye was cracked. Another bell from 1740 was out of tune. A company called John Taylor & Co from Loughborough fixed the cracked bell and made three new ones. People donated money for this work to celebrate the end of World War II. These five bells were tuned to the oldest bell in the church, which dates back to 1484.
The last two bells, making a total of eight, were added in 1976. Again, people donated money to make this happen.
Gallery
-
The former rood screen is at the church's west end
-
The baptismal font dates to about 1450
-
The remains of the medieval glass
-
The arches were added in c.1370 when the church was widened
Images for kids
-
The lost paintings which were destroyed in 1824
