St Mary's Church, Stamford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Stamford |
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St Mary's Church, view from St Mary's Hill
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo Catholic |
| Website | www.stamfordbenefice.com/ |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 168 feet (51 metres) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stamford St Mary and St Michael |
| Deanery | Stamford |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Boston |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lincoln |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
St Mary's Church, Stamford is a beautiful old church in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It belongs to the Church of England. The church stands on a hill called St Mary's Hill, which used to be part of a very old road called the Great North Road. This road led down to a river crossing near a famous old building, The George Hotel.
Contents
Discovering St Mary's Church History
How Old is St Mary's Church?
The main part of St Mary's Church was built a very long time ago, in the 1100s. Imagine, that's over 900 years ago! The tall tower was added in the 1200s, and the pointy spire on top was built in the 1300s.
Saving the Spire
In 1741, a person named William Stukeley suggested that the spire needed fixing to stop it from falling down. Later, in 1788, Charles Haynes did the repair work, using strong iron straps to hold it together. The spire was made even stronger in 1913 with more metal bars inside. Today, the tower is 78 feet (24 metres) high, and the spire adds another 90 feet (27 metres), making the total height 168 feet (51 metres).
The Special Corpus Christi Chapel
One of the most amazing parts of St Mary's Church is the Corpus Christi Chapel. This chapel was built in the 1300s, but some parts are even older, from the 1200s. It's the oldest section of the church. This chapel has a cool connection to a school that later became Stamford School. The chapel's ceiling is very special because it's one of the few decorated medieval wagon vaults (a type of curved ceiling) that still exist in this part of England.
Changes Over Time
In 1880, a new room called the vestry was added. Later, in 1890, new screens and an altar were put in, and the ceilings of the main church areas were decorated. In 1921, a large cross, called a rood, was placed above the screen in the church. This was done to remember the brave men from the church who died in the First World War. You can see a special plaque with their names near the pulpit. After the Second World War, in 1948, a screen was added to the tower to remember everyone who served in that war.
Amazing Stained Glass Windows
St Mary's Church has some truly beautiful stained glass windows. One of the most famous is the Lady Chapel east window, created in 1891 by an artist named Christopher Whall. This was a very important project for Whall because it was his first big job on his own. He even said it was "the foundation and beginning of everything" for his career.
Whall designed and made this window himself, with just one helper. They worked in a small shed! To make sure the figure of St Michael looked just right, Whall even made a suit of armour out of paper-mâché, and his assistant had to wear it! The window shows Adam and Eve, with the angels Gabriel and St Michael, and the Virgin Mary and Child in the middle. The smaller parts of the window at the top tell stories from the Mysteries of the Rosary. At the very top, you can see the Coronation of the Virgin.
Another window in the Lady Chapel, from 1893, was made by Christopher Whall and another artist named Louis Davis.
The Church Organ
St Mary's Church also has a large musical instrument called an organ. This organ was made in 1829 by a company called Gray. It was first placed in a gallery at the back of the church. In 1852, it was moved to the side of the church where an old chapel used to be. The organ was updated in 1984 to make it easier to play and to change its sound. Now, the organ's sound fills both the main part of the church and the area near the altar.
