St Mary's Church, Haddenham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church |
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St Mary's Church, Haddenham
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| 51°45′57″N 0°55′36″W / 51.76583°N 0.92667°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St Mary's, Haddenham |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 21 December 1967 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Haddenham with Cuddington, Kingsey and Aston Sandford |
| Deanery | Aylesbury |
| Archdeaconry | Buckingham |
| Diocese | Oxford |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary's Church is a very old and important church in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the local Church of England parish church. This church is so special that it is listed as a Grade I building. This means it has a lot of historical value and is protected.
History
Some parts of St Mary's Church are from the 12th century. This was when the Benedictine monks from Rochester Cathedral looked after the area. The first priest here was simply called Gilbert.
Other parts of the church might be even older, from an original Saxon church. For example, the font, which is a large bowl used for baptisms, has a drawing of a dragon on it. The church's tower is built in the Early English Gothic style. Experts say it is one of the best examples of this style in the whole county.
In 2008, the church had some big updates as part of a project called Millennium 2. They built a new room for the clergy (called a vestry), a play area for young children (a creche), and a kitchen. The roof was also fixed, along with other repairs and improvements.
A famous astronomer named William Rutter Dawes is buried in the churchyard. Also, some parts of the TV show Midsomer Murders, which is a mystery series, were filmed on the church grounds.
The Church Organ
In 1967, a pipe organ built by Norman and Beard from Norwich was put into the church. This organ was actually made in 1916 for a church in London. That church was damaged during the Second World War.
By 2007, the old organ needed a lot of repairs. It would have cost too much money to fix it. So, a new electric organ was installed instead. This was also part of the Millennium 2 project for the parish.
Images for kids
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The interior of the Church before the renovations
