St Mary's, Stretton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's, Stretton |
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| Denomination | Church of England |
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| Diocese | Diocese of Lichfield |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
St Mary's Church is a special Church of England church in the village of Stretton, East Staffordshire. It's located north of Burton upon Trent and is part of the Diocese of Lichfield. This beautiful church replaced an older building that used to stand in the village.
Contents
Building St Mary's Church
Who Paid for It?
St Mary's Church was built thanks to John Gretton (1836-1899). He grew up in Stretton and became a director of the famous Burton brewery, Bass, Ratcliff, and Gretton. His son, also named John Gretton, who later became a Member of Parliament, helped oversee the building work.
The Architects Behind the Design
The church was designed by two very important architects. The first was Somers Clarke, who was the Surveyor (meaning he looked after the building) for the famous St Paul's Cathedral in London. When he became unwell, another talented architect, John Thomas Micklethwaite, took over. Micklethwaite was the Surveyor of the Fabric (meaning he looked after the structure) of Westminster Abbey.
Inside St Mary's Church
Church Layout and Materials
St Mary's Church has a special layout called a cruciform plan, which means it's shaped like a cross. It has a large tower where the arms of the cross meet. The outside of the church is built from strong Stanton stone, and the inside uses Runcorn stone.
The church has a short area for the choir called the chancel, and a main area for the congregation called the nave. There are also aisles on the north and south sides, each with an entrance porch. On the east side of the south aisle, there's a small chapel. Along the north side of the chancel, there are two rooms called vestries. In 1999, one was used as a parish office and the other as a meeting room.
Beautiful Decorations and Fittings
The church has many of its original beautiful decorations and fittings.
- Wooden Screens and Stalls: You can see a wooden screen called a rood screen and choir stalls. These were carved by J. E. Knox of Kennington in a mix of Arts and Crafts and Perpendicular styles.
- Flooring: The floor in the chancel is made of black and white marble, laid in a pattern.
- Stone Carvings: The stone arch for the side chapel was carved by Robert Bridgeman of Lichfield.
- Font: The font, which is used for baptisms, is octagonal (eight-sided) and made of Frosterley Marble. It has a very detailed wooden canopy, also carved by J. E. Knox.
- Stained Glass: The east window in the chancel and the south window in the side chapel have beautiful stained glass made by Sir William Richmond. Many of the memorial windows in the aisles, added in the early 1900s, came from the Whitefriars studio in London.
- Altar Fittings: The items around the altar were designed by William Morris, a famous artist and designer.
The Church Bells
An older bell from the 1838 church was kept and used as a call bell. In 1897, three more bells were installed. These were later recast into six bells in 1960, meaning they were melted down and made into new, larger set of bells.
A Special Date
If you look closely in the sanctuary area of the church, you might find a special message called a chronogram. This clever message uses letters that are also Roman numerals to spell out the year 1897. This was the year the church was officially opened and dedicated.
