- This page was last modified on 9 August 2025, at 08:26. Suggest an edit.
St Mary & St Lawrence's Church, Stratford Tony facts for kids
| St Mary & St Lawrence's Church | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Stratford Tony, Wiltshire, England |
| Built | 13th century |
|
Listed Building – Grade I
|
|
| Official name: Church of St. Mary and St. Lawrence | |
| Designated | 23 March 1960 |
| Reference no. | 1181901 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Church of St Mary & St Lawrence is a very old church in the small village of Stratford Tony. This village is located in the southern part of Wiltshire, England. The church was built a long, long time ago, in the 13th century. That means it's over 700 years old!
It sits right by the River Ebble. To get to it, you walk down a lane, cross the river, and then go up a small hill. This church is considered a very important historical building. It's listed as a Grade I building, which is the highest level of protection for historic places in England. Since 1986, the Churches Conservation Trust has looked after it. This trust helps to save old churches that are no longer used for regular services.
Contents
What the Church Looks Like
The church has different parts that were built at different times. The back part, called the chancel, is from the 14th century. It was built where an even older church used to stand.
The Tower and Walls
The church has a low tower at the west end, also from the 14th century. This tower is made from large blocks of Chilmark stone and dark flint stones. It has a cool pyramid-shaped roof made of tiles. Look closely at the church walls, and you'll see many gargoyles. These are stone carvings, often shaped like monsters, that were originally used to drain rainwater away from the building.
In the 18th century, the main part of the church, called the nave, was rebuilt. It was made with stripes of brick and flint. When they built the north porch, they even reused an old doorway from the 12th or 13th century!
Inside the Church
When you step inside, you'll find some really old features. There's a round stone font that's from the 12th or 13th century. This is where babies would have been baptized hundreds of years ago. You can also see a beautiful piscina made of Purbeck stone. A piscina is a special basin used for washing sacred vessels. This one is from the mid-13th century.
Old Pews and Memorials
The wooden seats and pews inside the church are from the 17th century. Some of them are "box pews," which are like small enclosed rooms with high sides. They even have decorative tops that look like tiny columns! Some changes were made to the seating in 1882.
You'll also find special plaques and tablets inside. These are memorials to people who lived long ago. For example, there's a marble plaque for George Taunton and a wall tablet for Elizabeth Hill, who passed away in 1715. The colorful stained glass in the east window was put in by a famous studio called Charles Eamer Kempe in 1884.
In 2012, Loyd Grossman, who is the chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, visited this church. He gave awards to local school children who had done research on the church's history.
The Churchyard
Outside the church, in the churchyard, there's a very large Yew tree. Its trunk is huge, measuring over 11 feet (about 3.4 meters) around! Yew trees can live for a very long time, so this tree has probably been there for centuries.
Among the many graves and tombs, you can find a special chest tomb for Anthony Bradbury, who died in 1845.
Church Status
The Church of St Mary & St Lawrence stopped being used for regular church services on October 1, 1984. It was then officially given to the Churches Conservation Trust on March 26, 1986. Even though it's not used every week, a special service is still held there once a year.