St Mary's Church, South Tidworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church |
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| Location | South Tidworth, Wiltshire, England |
| Built | 1878 |
| Architect | John Johnson |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 7 March 1973 |
| Reference no. | 1093240 |
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St Mary's Church in South Tidworth, Wiltshire, England, is a very special and historic building. It was built in 1878 and is famous for its beautiful design. This church is so important that it's listed as a Grade I building. This means it's one of the most important historic buildings in England! Today, it is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust, which helps protect old churches.
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Building St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church was built using strong, brown stone. It was designed in a style called Gothic Revival. This style looks a lot like the grand churches built many centuries ago. The architect who designed it was John Johnson.
The church was built for a wealthy engineer named Sir John Kelk. He owned a large estate nearby called Tedworth House. Sir John Kelk spent about £12,000 to build St Mary's, which was a huge amount of money back then! He had worked with John Johnson before on another big project, the Alexandra Palace.
Church Dimensions and Features
The main part of the church, called the chancel, is about 28 feet (8.5 meters) long and 17 feet (5.2 meters) wide. The larger area where people sit, known as the nave, is about 43 feet (13.1 meters) long and also 17 feet (5.2 meters) wide.
The church also has side sections called aisles. On the west wall, there's a special bell tower. It has a tall, pointy spire on top, which is sometimes called a flèche.
Inside St Mary's Church
The inside of St Mary's Church is truly amazing. It has beautiful carvings and shiny marble columns. The floor in the chancel area is made with colorful Italian mosaic tiles.
The church also has some very old and valuable items. These include a silver cup called a chalice and silver plates called patens. There's also a silver-gilt flagon, which is a large jug.
The altar and many of the stone carvings were made by a company called Farmer & Brindley. The colorful stained glass windows were created by artists from Clayton and Bell. However, the large window at the east end of the church was designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
Outside the Church and Its History
Outside St Mary's Church, you can find a pathway lined with yew trees. One of these trees is very old and large, with a trunk that measures about 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 meters) around!
The church stopped being used for regular services on 1 September 1972. It was then officially handed over to the Churches Conservation Trust in 1973. This trust now looks after the building. To help protect the church and its treasures, access to the building has been limited since 2016.
