St Mary's, Stretton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's, Stretton
Denomination	Church of England
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Lichfield
Province	Province of Canterbury

St Mary's is a special church for the village of Stretton, East Staffordshire in England. It's a Church of England church, which means it's part of the main Christian church in England. Stretton is a village north of a town called Burton upon Trent. St Mary's is also part of the Diocese of Lichfield, which is like a local area for churches.

Building the Church

The money to build St Mary's church came from a man named John Gretton (1836-1899). He was from Stretton originally. John Gretton was a director of a famous brewing company in Burton called Bass, Ratcliff, and Gretton. He lived in a house called Bladon House in Winshill.

The building work was looked after by his son, also named John Gretton. This new Victorian church replaced an older church building that was already in the village.

Church Design

The church was designed by two very important architects. The first was Somers Clarke. When he became ill, another architect, John Thomas Micklethwaite, took over.

Inside the Church

St Mary's church has a special shape called a cruciform plan, which looks like a cross from above. It has a big tower in the middle. The outside of the church is made from a type of stone called Stanton stone. Inside, it uses Runcorn stone.

The church has:

• A short area for the altar called a chancel.
• A main area for people to sit called a nave, which has four sections.
• North and south aisles, which are like walkways on the sides. Each aisle has a porch at its west end.
• A small chapel at the east end of the south aisle.
• Two rooms called vestries along the north side of the chancel. One was used as an office, and the other as a meeting room.

The arches inside the church, like those in the nave and leading to the chancel, have special carved designs. The ceilings in the nave and chancel have painted wooden panels, making them look very decorative.

Special Features and Art

St Mary's still has most of its original decorations and fittings. These include:

• A wooden screen called a rood screen and choir stalls (seats for the choir). These were carved by J. E. Knox in a mix of Arts and Crafts and Perpendicular styles.
• The chancel floor is made of black and white marble, laid in a pattern.
• A stone arch in the side-chapel was carved by Robert Bridgeman.
• An eight-sided font (a basin for baptisms) made of Frosterley Marble. It has a fancy wooden cover, also carved by J. E. Knox.
• Beautiful stained glass windows. The large window at the east end of the chancel and the south window of the side chapel were designed by Sir William Richmond.
• Altar fittings (items used at the altar) designed by William Morris, a famous artist and designer.
• Most of the memorial windows from the early 1900s in the aisles came from the Whitefriars studio in London, known for its glasswork.

Church Bells

An old bell from the church built in 1838 was kept and used as a call bell. In 1897, three more bells were added. These three bells were later melted down and recast into six new bells in 1960.

Chronogram

In the sanctuary (the area around the altar), there is a special message called a chronogram. This is a phrase where certain letters, when read as Roman numerals, add up to a specific year. The chronogram at St Mary's tells us that the church was officially opened, or consecrated, in the year 1897.