St Mary's Church, Guildford Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids History
St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church from Quarry Street
St Mary's Church, Guildford Location in Surrey
51°14′05″N 0°34′39″W / 51.2346°N 0.5774°W / 51.2346; -0.5774
OS grid reference	SU 99614 49344
Location	Quarry Street, Guildford
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England / Methodist
Churchmanship	Liberal
Dedication	St Mary
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	1 May 1953
Specifications
Materials	Flint and chalk rubble
Bells	6
Tenor bell weight	15 long cwt (1,700 lb or 800 kg)
Administration
Parish	Holy Trinity and St Mary

St Mary's Church is a special church in Guildford, England. It's an Anglican church, which is part of the Church of England. The church's tower is very old, built in the Anglo-Saxon style. It is the oldest building still standing in Guildford.

A famous author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, used to preach here. His funeral was also held at St Mary's in 1898. The church is part of the Diocese of Guildford. Since 1953, it has been a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically.

History of St Mary's Church
Church Design and Features
Lewis Carroll's Connection
Gallery
See also

History of St Mary's Church

A painting of the inside of St Mary's by John Hassell (around 1824)

The altar and East Window in 2016

St Mary's Church is thought to be on the same spot as Guildford's very first church. That first church was probably a small wooden building from around 600 AD. The stone Anglo-Saxon church we see today was built around 1040 AD. Its tower is still standing.

The tower is made of rough flint. It is the oldest building in Guildford. It is even older than Guildford Castle, which is nearby. The castle was a popular place for kings and queens in the 1100s and 1200s. Because St Mary's is so close, royalty sometimes worshipped there. It is believed that Thomas Becket might have led a service here.

In 1274, Henry, the six-year-old son of King Edward I, was very sick at the castle. Thirteen widows stayed up all night in the church, praying for him. Sadly, he passed away. After he died, three special services were held in St Mary's for him.

Around 1120, a group of religious people called canons from Merton Priory took over St Mary's. They rebuilt the church, giving it the cross shape it has today. In the 1140s, the St John's chapel was added to the south side. Much of the church you see now was built in the 1180s.

The chancel (the part of the church near the altar) used to have a rounded end called an apse. This was taken down in 1825. In the 1300s, many new windows were put in. The east window in the chancel, from the 1400s, has five special pointed arches.

During the Reformation, the church's decorations changed a lot. However, many of the stone carvings, called corbels, survived. One carving on the south side shows ravens feeding the prophet Elijah. Two other corbels in the north aisle, which were carved as angels, still show signs of damage from that time.

On September 1, 2013, Guildford Methodist Church officially joined St Mary's. Now, the church is a joint Anglican and Methodist church. It is also part of a combined parish with the nearby Holy Trinity Church.

Church Design and Features

In 1825, the chancel of the church was made shorter. This was done to make Quarry Street, which is next to the church, wider. In 1862, St Mary's was restored by Thomas Goodchild. During this work, the stone was repaired, and a gallery inside the church was removed.

Goodchild's restoration kept the original parts of the church from the 1000s and 1100s. Most of the outside walls, except for the tower and the east wall, were covered with flint. All the supports, called buttresses, are from the Victorian period, except for one.

The beautiful east window was made by William Holland. It shows important scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, like his birth, baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The west window in the north aisle was made by the Royal Bavarian Art Institute for Stained Glass around 1850.

The baptismal font is also Victorian. It has a square stone bowl with a wavy edge. It sits on a square base with four smaller stone pillars. The pulpit, where sermons are given, was added by Goodchild. It is made of stone and marble and replaced an older one from the 1600s.

Lewis Carroll's Connection

The pulpit where "Lewis Carroll" preached

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, known as "Lewis Carroll," sometimes preached from the pulpit you see today. He would do this when he was visiting his family. Their home, The Chestnuts, was very close by. St Mary's Church was also the place where his funeral was held.