St Mary's Church, Potton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Potton |
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| The Parish Church of St Mary, Potton | |
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| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.pottonparishchurch.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Biggleswade |
| Archdeaconry | Bedford |
| Diocese | St Albans |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Parish Church of St Mary is an Anglican church in Potton, Bedfordshire. It has been a very important building, known as a Grade I listed building, since 1966. The church is part of the Diocese of St Albans.
Contents
A Look at the Church's Design
People have worshipped on this spot since the 11th century, which is over 900 years ago! The church you see today was mostly built in the 13th century. Over the years, more parts were added in the 14th, 15th, and early 16th centuries.
The church is made from strong materials like cobblestones and ironstone. It also has smooth, cut stones called ashlar around the windows and doors. The roof edges, called parapets, are a mix of plain and fancy designs.
Inside, the church has several main parts. These include the chancel (the area near the altar), a South chapel, and the nave (the main part where people sit). There's also a North transept, North and South aisles, a North porch, and a tall West tower.
Old Parts and New Additions
The chancel, which is the oldest part, dates back to the 13th century. It was updated in the 15th century. The large East window, which lets in lots of light, was added in the 19th century.
The South chapel was built in the 16th century. It has three windows that let light into this part of the church. Long ago, there was a small room called a vestry on the north side, but it was taken down in the 16th century.
The main part of the church, the nave, has parts from the 13th century but was mostly built in the 14th century. It has rows of arches on both sides, called arcades. These arches help support the roof. Above these arches, there's a row of windows called the clerestory. These windows were added in the 15th century and help make the church bright inside.
The North transept is another old part, from the 13th century. It has a window from the 15th century. The North and South aisles were built in the 14th century and then updated in the 15th century.
The Tower and Porch
The West tower, which is a tall, impressive part of the church, was built in the 15th century. It has a round stair turret that sticks out from one side. On the north side of the tower, you can still see where an old stone lamp holder used to be, about 12 feet up!
The very top of the tower has windows on all sides for the belfry, where the church bells are.
The North porch, where you enter the church, was built in the 15th century. It even has a room above it! You can reach this room by stairs.
Most of the church's wooden roofs were fixed in the 19th century. However, they still have much of their original carved wood from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The wooden benches, called pews, are from the 19th century. The round stone basin used for baptisms, called a baptismal font, is very old, but its exact age is not known.
The church was carefully restored in 1889 by architects Somers Clarke and J. T. Micklethwaite.
Beautiful Stained Glass Windows
Many of the stained glass windows in St Mary's Church are from the Victorian era, which was a long time ago.
The large East window has three sections of glass. It shows a scene called the Last Supper and was put in place in 1888 to remember James Wagstaff.
In the West part of the church, there are two 15th-century windows. The bigger one was installed in 1865 to remember Rev George Bidwell. It shows important scenes from the life of Christ, like his birth (Nativity), his death (Crucifixion), and his coming back to life (Resurrection). It also shows Christ and Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The stained glass in the north window of the transept was added in 1892. It remembers Elizabeth Wagstaff, who lived from 1800 to 1892. This window shows Christ talking with a woman at a well.
One of the most colorful windows is in the South aisle. It's a modern design by Carl Russell and was put in place in 1994. This window celebrates 900 years of worship at the church! It shows the Holy Spirit as a dove, with bright rays of sun and angels playing trumpets.
