Church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermaston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary the Virgin
A view of the church from the graveyard
Location in Berkshire
51°22′51″N 1°08′39″W / 51.3807°N 1.1442°W / 51.3807; -1.1442
Location	Church Road, Aldermaston, Berkshire
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Anglican
History
Founded	Mid 12th century
Dedication	St Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Style	Norman
Administration
Parish	Aldermaston
Deanery	Bradfield
Archdeaconry	Berkshire
Diocese	Oxford

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermaston is a very old church in Aldermaston, Berkshire, England. It is part of the Church of England. This church is named after St Mary. It was first built in the middle of the 12th century. The church shows off different building styles, especially Norman and Jacobean architecture. Over many centuries, new parts were added to the building. This happened in the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 17th centuries.

History of St Mary's Church

This church was first built around the mid-1100s. The original Norman building has changed a lot over hundreds of years. The main part of the church, called the nave, is from the 12th century. Other parts were added later. For example, the Forster Chapel and the chancel were built in the 13th century. The tall steeple was added in the 14th century. A small room called the vestry was built in the 17th century.

St Mary's Church was established in the 12th century, and has seen numerous additions and increases in size

The pulpit in the church is from the 17th century. It is quite special because it has seven sides. More changes were made to the church in the 14th and 15th centuries. These changes mostly involved the walls and the windows. A special sun clock, called a scratch dial, was added to a wall support in the 14th century.

In 1896, a big project to fix up the church began. Charles Keyser paid for this work. An architect named Edward Doran Webb guided the project. During these repairs, workers found an old water drain system. It was turned into a small basin called a piscina. The walls of the main part of the church were also fixed. They used to have plaster over wood. This was removed, and the walls were decorated with special paintings. The beautiful stained glass windows in the chancel were made by C.E. Kempe.

More repairs were done to the roof and tower in the 1950s. The church's font, which is a large bowl for baptisms, is from the mid-1800s. The lectern, where readings are given, is a special memorial. It remembers those who served in the Second World War.

On September 11, 2010, the church opened its doors to visitors. This was part of the Heritage Open Days event. The current church leader is Rector Jane Manley.

Forster Chapel: A Special Part of the Church

The south side of the church has a section called the Forster Chapel. It was added in the 13th century. This chapel is also known as a lady chapel. It holds a special stone monument. This monument shows Sir George Forster and his wife Elizabeth. It was made in 1530 from alabaster.

Part of this monument was damaged when the church roof fell. But George's face on the monument was not harmed. This chapel might have been a special place for prayers. It may have been dedicated to St Nicholas a long time ago.

The north window in the chapel has two round stained-glass pictures. They show the Annunciation and the Coronation of the Virgin. These pictures are from the 13th century. They are the oldest stained glass in all of Berkshire.

Church Bells

The church tower has eight bells that can be rung together. The oldest bells are the fourth and sixth ones. They were made in 1681 by Henry Knight. The seventh bell is from 1786. It was made by W & T Mears. The third and fifth bells were also made by Mears in 1860. The second bell was made in 1895. The first and last bells were made five years later.

Between 1900 and 2005, the church bells were rung for 210 special long performances called peals. In 1977, the bells rang a shorter performance for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. This was a special celebration for the Queen. On July 9, 1979, the bells rang to mark a visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. They visited a nearby research center. Another special ringing happened on November 15, 1980. It celebrated the new vicar, Richard Millar. This ringing lasted for almost three hours.

The Church Organ

Diagram of a concave-parallel pedalboard layout, similar to the one in Aldermaston

The organ at St Mary's church is in the south chancel. It was built in 1880 by Martin & Coate. This organ has 16 different sounds, called stops. Its pipes are made from a mix of lead and tin.

The organ also has four couplers. These connect different parts of the organ to make more sounds. The wind system uses an electric blower. The pedal keyboard is shaped in a special way. It is called a concave-parallel design.

In 1938, a new feature called a tremulant was added. This makes the sound waver slightly. The way the swell and great parts of the organ connected was also changed. In 1997, the organ was cleaned and fixed up. No new parts were added during this work.

Interesting Burials

Maria Hale, sometimes called Martha Hale, was born in 1791. She lived in a small house near the church. People in the village had many stories about her. Some said she could turn into a hare. They believed she would sit outside the Falcon pub to hear all the local news. One story says a gamekeeper shot a hare in the leg. After that, Maria Hale was said to have a limp.

Other stories claimed she could cause bad luck for gardens. This happened if people did not give her flowers. It was also said she caused her son to become ill. This was when he left home for Windsor. She supposedly wanted him to come back.

In 1871, records showed Maria Hale living in Mortimer. Aldermaston was part of the Mortimer area then. She passed away in 1879. She was buried near the church entrance, next to a yew tree. People say her coffin was very heavy. It was filled with stones and bricks. The gravediggers even jumped on the grave. This was to make sure she would stay buried. There is a local saying that if you put a pin in the church door and run around the church three times, something special might happen.

Other people buried in the Aldermaston churchyard include Charles Keyser, Daniel Burr, and John Stair.