St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury
St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, from the northwest
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OS grid reference	SJ 493,126
Location	St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	Conservation Trust
History
Founder(s)	King Edgar (?)
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	10 January 1953
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone

St Mary's Church is a very old church in Shrewsbury, England. It is no longer used for regular church services, but it is kept safe by a group called the Churches Conservation Trust. This church is considered a Grade I listed building, which means it is a very important historical site. St Mary's is the biggest church in Shrewsbury.

A Church with a History
Becoming a Parish Church
Church Design and Features
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Churchyard
See also

A Church with a History

St Mary's started as a special type of church called a collegiate church. This meant it had a group of priests, called canons, who lived and worked together. People believe that King Edgar founded the church way back in the 900s.

Archaeologists found parts of an even older church under the current one. The church we see today began to be built in the 1100s. It first had a main hall, called a nave, and a rounded area at the east end, called an apse. Later, a large tower was added at the west end.

Over the years, the church grew bigger.

In the 1170s, the side sections, called transepts, were changed.
Then, side aisles were added next to the nave.
In the 1200s, the central part of the church, where the nave and transepts meet, was rebuilt.
The transepts were made taller, and the chancel (the area around the altar) was extended.
In the 1300s, the Trinity Chapel was added.
In the 1400s, more improvements were made. A clerestory (a row of windows high up) was added to the nave and chancel. Large new windows were put into the aisles. It's also thought that the tall spire was added to the west tower around this time.

Becoming a Parish Church

Luckily, St Mary's Church was not badly damaged during big historical events like the closing of the colleges in 1548 or the English Civil War.

The church has been repaired and updated many times:

In 1788, Thomas Telford led a major restoration.
In 1858, the large east window was made bigger.
Between 1864 and 1870, some of the roofs were rebuilt.
In 1884, a vestry (a room for clergy) was added.
In 1894, the very top of the spire fell off! This caused a lot of damage to the clerestory, but it was all repaired.
The tower was restored again between 1924 and 1926.

Finally, in 1987, the church was declared "redundant." This means it stopped being a regular parish church. It was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust, who now look after it.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

The church has a main hall (nave) with side aisles and porches. It also has a central area (crossing) with two side sections (transepts). There is a chancel at the east end with a vestry and a chapel. A tall tower stands at the west end.

The tower has four levels. The bottom three levels are made of red sandstone and are in the Norman style. The top level is made of white sandstone and is in the Perpendicular style.
At the bottom of the tower is a round-arched doorway. Next to it is an old Roman stone.
The tower has a clock face and windows. The very top has a fancy, open stone railing and pointed decorations called pinnacles.
A small stair tower is in one corner.
The spire is octagonal (eight-sided) and very tall. It has three levels of small windows called lucarnes. It is said to be the third tallest spire in England!

The windows on the sides of the church are in the Perpendicular style. The south porch is made of special Grinshill stone and has two levels. The outer and inner doorways have round arches. The south transept has small Norman doorways and tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. The Trinity Chapel has large windows. The east window of the chancel is also very big.

Inside the Church

The nave, or main hall, of the church.

The choir area with the organ and stained glass.

Many people think the arches in the nave are the most beautiful part of the church. They are wide and have semicircular arches. The wooden ceiling of the nave has amazing 15th-century carvings of birds, animals, and angels.

The Trinity Chapel has a special seat for the clergy called a sedilia.
The stone top of the old medieval altar was found and placed under the current altar.
The font, where baptisms take place, is octagonal and carved with angels.
The pulpit, where sermons are given, is made of stone and dates from 1853.
The church floor is covered in tiles.
The organ, which makes music, has been rebuilt and enlarged over the years. The current organ was installed in 1912.

Church Bells

St Mary's has a set of ten bells. Eight of them were made in 1775, and the other two in 1911. The bells have special messages carved into them, like "Happiness to all worthy contributors" and "Peace and Felicity to this Church and Nation." There is also an old bell from Battlefield, which was added in 1871.

Stained Glass Windows

The beautiful stained glass windows behind the altar.

The church is famous for its amazing collection of stained glass windows. These windows come from different places and times, from the 1300s to the 1800s. Many of them were brought to St Mary's from other churches in Europe. People say no other church in England has such a collection!

The most special window is the east window of the chancel. It shows the Tree of Jesse, which illustrates the family tree of Jesus. This glass is very old, from between 1327 and 1353.
Some windows in the chancel and south aisle came from a Cistercian abbey in Germany. They show scenes from the life of Saint Bernard.
Other windows came from churches in Cologne and Liège.
Some 15th-century glass was bought in 1801 from places like Trier and a nunnery.
There is also 16th-century glass from Dutch and Flemish artists.

Memorials and Statues

A plaque on the tower remembering Robert Cadman.

Inside the church, you can find many memorials:

A plaque on the tower remembers Robert Cadman, a tightrope walker who died in 1739 when his rope broke.
There's a statue of Col C. R. Cureton, who died in India in 1848.
A brass plaque remembers soldiers from the 85th Regiment who died in the Afghan War.
In the north transept, there are memorials to Rev John Brickdale Blakeway, a local historian, and Admiral Benbow, a naval officer.
The oldest memorial is a tomb with a knight's statue, probably from the 1340s.
You can also see a grave slab from about 1100 with a carved cross.
The Trinity Chapel has stone tablets remembering soldiers from the Shropshire Yeomanry who died in the World Wars. There is also a memorial for local people who died in World War I, including VC hero Walter Napleton Stone.
Katherine Harley, a woman who fought for women's right to vote, is also remembered here. She was a nurse who died in 1917 while helping refugees.

Churchyard

The churchyard is a peaceful place with its own stories.

Thomas Anderson, a soldier, was buried here in 1752. He was the last person in England to be executed for supporting the Stuart royal family. The local minister bravely allowed him to be buried in the churchyard despite official disapproval.
Dr Samuel Butler, a famous headmaster of Shrewsbury School, is also buried here. His tombstone is still visible.
A stone cross in the churchyard remembers the Shrewsbury townsmen who died in the two World Wars. It was put up in 1920 after World War I.

St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury facts for kids

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