St Mary's Church, Purton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's, Purton |
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| Church of St Mary the Virgin | |
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| OS grid reference | SU 09688717 |
| Location | Purton, Wiltshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 17 January 1955 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Swindon |
| Archdeaconry | Malmesbury |
| Diocese | Bristol |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary's Church in Purton, Wiltshire, England, is an active Church of England parish church. It is a very old and large building, started in the 1200s. St Mary's is special because it is one of only three churches in England with both a tower at the west end and a spire in the middle. It is a Grade I listed building, meaning it is a very important historic site.
Contents
Where is St Mary's Church Located?
Purton village is about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Swindon. It is also about the same distance south of Cricklade. The church stands a little apart from the main village. It is next to a manor house built in the 1500s.
The History of St Mary's Church
How Old is St Mary's Church?
A church might have been built on this land even before the Norman conquest in 1066. However, no church was mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086. A church in Purton was listed as belonging to Malmesbury Abbey in 1151. The abbey took full control of it in 1276. Around that time, a house for the vicar (the local priest) had just been built. The high quality of the church's construction shows how rich Malmesbury Abbey was.
Building the Church Through the Centuries
Some parts of the church, like a carved stone at the east end of the south arcade, might be from the 1100s. The main part of the church, called the nave, was built in the early 1200s. In the 1300s, the central tower, transepts (the arms of the cross-shaped church), and a chapel were added. The arcades (rows of arches) were rebuilt to be wider and taller. This made the nave unusually high.
The chancel (the area around the altar) dates from the late 1200s. The west tower, which is very impressive, was built in the 1400s. The top part of the central tower and its tall, eight-sided spire might be from the 1300s or 1400s.
Victorian Changes to the Church
In 1872, the church was restored by an architect named William Butterfield. During this work, three walls of the chancel were rebuilt. A skeleton was found in a wall of the north transept at this time.
What Does St Mary's Church Look Like?
Church Design and Materials
The church is built from limestone blocks, with roofs made of slate and lead. It has a three-part nave with aisles on the sides. There is a tower at the west end and transepts. A steeple stands above the central crossing. The church also has a chancel and a porch on the south side. This porch has an upper floor with a fireplace.
The Towers and Spire
The west tower, where you enter the church, has angled supports called buttresses. It has three levels. The top level has openings for bells with stone screens. The tower has pointed decorations called crocketed pinnacles at its corners. A small stair turret is on the north corner. There are many empty spaces, or niches, where statues once stood. In 1973, new figures by Simon Verity were placed in niches on the north and south sides.
The central steeple has openings for bells and a crenellated (castle-like) top. The spire itself is eight-sided. As mentioned, St Mary's is one of only three churches in England with both a western tower and a central spire.
The Church Bells
The church has a set of eight bells that are used for change ringing (a special way of ringing bells). It also has a smaller Sanctus bell. The two lightest bells were made in 1989. The seventh bell was cast in 1916 by John Taylor & Co. The third and fifth bells were made in the 1920s. The fourth bell is from 1793, and the sixth bell from 1598. The heaviest bell, called the tenor, was made in 1738 by Abel Rudhall. Rudhall also made the Sanctus bell in 1760.
Church Windows
Most of the windows are from the 1400s and have three or four lights (sections). They are in the Perpendicular style, which was popular in England at that time. The window in the north aisle has a net-like pattern. The east window in the south chapel has wavy lines. The chancel has two-light casement windows.
Inside St Mary's Church
Even though the outside of the church looks mostly Perpendicular (a later style), the inside is quite different. Both inside and out, the church has many niches and corbels (stone supports) where small statues would have been placed. Some of these have fancy canopies. The east wall of the north transept has two carved heads from the 1300s.
The simple, eight-sided font (a basin for baptisms) is from the 1200s. In the chancel, there is an Early English piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels). The chapel south of the chancel also has a decorated piscina.
Wall Paintings and Stained Glass
In 1872, colored patterns on the arcade arches were restored. You can find small pieces of medieval wall paintings throughout the church. On the south wall of the south chapel, also known as the Lady Chapel, there is a painting from the 1300s showing the Death of Mary. The reredos (a screen behind the altar) has a Flemish painting from the 1600s of the Last Supper. This painting was given to the church in 1782.
There are fragments of old stained glass in the windows of the north aisle. Many more pieces were put together in 1927 in the south window of the south chapel. The stained glass in the chancel, from 1883, was made by Clayton and Bell.
Important Monuments and Burials
St Mary's Church is the burial place for several members of the Maskelyne family. This family owned land in the area since the 1400s. In the south transept, there are three wall monuments dedicated to Maskelynes. These include monuments for Nevil Maskelyne (who died in 1679), and Nevil Maskelyne, who was the fifth Astronomer Royal (died 1811). There is also a monument for Anthony Maskelyne (died 1879). The stone tomb of the Astronomer Royal is outside the south transept.
Church Records
The oldest surviving records for the church date back to 1558 for marriages and burials. Baptism records start from 1564. There are some missing records between 1641 and 1647. This gap matches the time of the English Civil War, which caused many disruptions.
