St Mary's Church, Hardmead facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Hardmead
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hardmead
St Mary's Church, Hardmead, from the south
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OS grid reference	SP 935 477
Location	Hardmead, Buckinghamshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Friends of Friendless Churches
History
Dedication	Assumption of Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	17 November 1966
Architectural type	Church
Groundbreaking	13th century
Completed	15th century
Specifications
Materials	Stone with lead and tiled roofs

St Mary's Church is an old Anglican church in the village of Hardmead, Buckinghamshire, England. It is no longer used for regular church services. This special building is listed as a Grade I building, which means it is very important historically. A group called the Friends of Friendless Churches helps to look after it.

History of St Mary's Church

This church is very old! Parts of it, like the tall west tower, were built in the 1200s. The chancel, which is the part of the church near the altar, was built a little later. In the 1400s, more parts were added, like the clerestory (a row of windows high up) and the very top of the tower.

St Mary's Church used to serve a village from the Middle Ages. However, that old village has now disappeared. After the church stopped being used regularly, some people wanted to turn it into a house. But a special group, the Friends of Friendless Churches, stepped in to save it. They now manage the church with help from the Friends of Hardmead.

The charity officially took over the church in 1982. They have a long-term agreement to care for it. Sometimes, special services are still held here as part of the local SCAN Parish.

Architecture and Features

St Mary's Church is built from strong stone. The main part of the church, called the nave, and the side sections, called aisles, have flat roofs made of lead. The chancel has a roof covered with tiles.

The church has a specific layout. It includes a nave with aisles on both sides and a clerestory above. There is also a chancel, a small porch on the south side, and a tall tower at the west end.

Tower and Roofs

The tower does not have buttresses, which are supports often seen on old buildings. It has special openings for bells with decorative stone patterns. At the very top of the tower, there is a battlemented parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall. The roofs of the nave also have these castle-like battlements. The roofs of the aisles are simpler and plain.

Windows and Arches

The large window at the east end of the church and two windows in the chancel walls have beautiful stone patterns. These patterns are from a style called Decorated Gothic. Inside the church, the double arcade (a row of arches) was built in the 1300s.

Inside the Church

The baptismal font, where baptisms take place, is from the 1400s. It has carvings with similar stone patterns. The ends of the wooden benches are also from around the same time.

In the north aisle, you can find memorials for the Catesby family. One important memorial is on the wall for Francis Catesby, who passed away in 1636. There is also a special metal plate, called a brass, for another Francis Catesby from 1556.

In the chancel, there are memorials for the Shedden family. One of these is for Robert Shedden, who died in 1849. He passed away on his yacht, the Nancy Dawson, while trying to find Sir John Franklin. Below his memorial, there is a carving that shows his yacht.

Organ and Bells

The church organ was made around 1837 by J. W. Walker of London. It was repaired around 1995. The church also has a set of three bells. The oldest bell was made around 1399. The next bell was made around 1499, and the third bell was made around 1599. Sadly, these old bells can no longer be rung.