St Mary's Church, Marshwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Year consecrated	1841
Location
Location	Marshwood, Dorset, England
Architecture
Architectural type	Church

St Mary's Church is a special church in Marshwood, Dorset, England. It belongs to the Church of England. The oldest part of the church is its tower, which was built in 1840. Most of the church building was rebuilt later, between 1883 and 1884. St Mary's has been recognized as a important historical building since 1983. This means it is a Grade II listed building.

The Church's Story

From Old Chapel to New Church

Long ago, Marshwood had a small chapel dedicated to St Mary. It was near Marshwood Castle and was very old, dating back to Norman times. By the 1600s, this old chapel had become a ruin. People in the village needed a new place to worship.

It took a long time to plan for a new church. In the 1830s, people started raising money for it. In 1839, a kind person named Mr. C. B. Tucker from Chard gave the land for the new church. Then, in January 1840, Mr. Jesse Cornick of Bridport was chosen to build it.

Building and Opening St Mary's

A special ceremony took place on March 25, 1840, to lay the first stone of the new church. About 2,000 people came to watch! The main part of the church and its tower were finished by the end of November that year.

St Mary's Church was officially opened and blessed on October 26, 1841. Bishop Edward Stanley, who was the Bishop of Norwich, performed the ceremony. He was helping out because the Bishop of Salisbury could not be there. After the church was ready, people started raising money for a school. A national school was built in 1842 on more land given by Mr. Tucker.

Repairs and Modern Updates

By the 1880s, the church was getting old and needed a lot of repairs. Rev. William Toms helped lead the effort to raise money for this. In 1883, plans by architect Mr. G. Viles from London were approved. The church, except for its tower, was rebuilt by a company called Messrs Randall from Lyme Regis. This big project cost £900. The church reopened with a ceremony on May 15, 1884.

In the year 2000, St Mary's Church and the nearby primary school started working together. This partnership allowed the school to use the church as a classroom and a hall. To make it better for both the school and the church members, improvements were made. These included new seating and new flooring. The Bishop of Salisbury, David Stancliffe, rededicated the church on October 3, 2002. A new room for the clergy, called a vestry, was finished in 2007. This meant the old vestry could be used by the school for storage.

People Remembered Here

• Peter De Greef (1922-1980), a film actor who lived in Marshwood, is buried here.