St Mary's Parish Church, Slough facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary Parish Church, Slough |
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| 51°30′24″N 0°35′40″W / 51.50676°N 0.59455°W | |
| OS grid reference | SU 97634 79581 |
| Location | Slough |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.stmarys-slough.org.uk/ |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Completed | 1876 - 1878 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Upton cum Chalvey |
| Diocese | Oxford |
St Mary's Parish Church is a beautiful red brick church in Slough, England. It is a Church of England parish church built in a style called Gothic Revival. This means it looks like churches from the medieval Gothic period.
The church was built between 1876 and 1878. A famous architect named John Oldrid Scott designed it. Even Queen Victoria helped pay for it with her own money! The church was made bigger between 1911 and 1913.
St Mary's is a very important building. It is protected as a Grade II* listed building. This means it has special historical or architectural value. The church grounds also have a war memorial near the west door. This memorial lists over 300 names of people from Slough who died in the First and Second World Wars. The walls and gates around the churchyard are also protected.
The church is in the middle of Slough town centre. It is connected to two local schools: Saint Mary's Church of England Primary School and Slough and Eton Church of England Secondary School. St Mary's Church often holds music concerts, sometimes with its amazing organ.
Contents
The Church Organ: A Musical Marvel
The church has a large pipe organ. It was built in 1912 by a company called Norman and Beard. This organ is in the English Romantic style. It has three keyboards, called manuals. It also has 37 different sounds, called stops. There are more than 2,400 pipes inside!
When the organ was first used, a famous organ player and composer named Sir Walter Parratt played it. It is still used today for concerts and church services.
The Church Bells: A Ringing History
The tower of St Mary's Church holds a ring of ten bells. The largest bell, called the tenor, weighs about 1,750 pounds (17½ cwt).
The very first bells for the church were made in 1619. A bell maker named Richard Eldridge cast them. Only one of those original bells is still there today. The other nine bells were made much later by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The last two bells were added in 1949 as a special memorial.
People Connected to St Mary's
Many interesting people have connections to St Mary's Church.
- A beautiful stained glass window was designed for the church in 1915. It was created by an artist and poet named Alfred Wolmark.
- The funeral of Letty Lind took place at St Mary's in 1923. She was a famous dancer and actress.
- A lost musical piece by Eric Fogg was performed here. The piece was called The Seasons. It was played at St Mary's Church on September 13, 2003. This celebrated 100 years since Eric Fogg was born.
The Parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey
St Mary's Church is part of a larger church area called the Parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey. In this parish, St Mary's is linked with two other churches:
- St Laurence's Church in Upton, which is to the east. This church is even older and is a Grade I listed building.
- St Peter's Church in Chalvey, which is to the west.
