St Mary Magdalene's Church, Boveney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary Magdalene's Church, Boveney |
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St Mary Magdalene's Church, Boveney, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SU 940 776 |
| Location | Boveney, Buckinghamshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Friends of Friendless Churches |
| History | |
| Dedication | Mary Magdalene |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 23 September 1955 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 12th century |
| Completed | 15th century |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint and chalk rubble, with ashlar dressings |
St Mary Magdalene's Church is an old Anglican church located right by the River Thames in Boveney, Buckinghamshire, England. It's about 3 kilometers (2 miles) west of Eton College. The church is named after Mary Magdalene, a friend of Jesus. It is a very important historical building, listed as a Grade I building in the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered to have special historical or architectural value. The church is now looked after by a group called the Friends of Friendless Churches, which helps save old churches that are no longer regularly used. You can even take a virtual tour of the church online!
The Church's Early Days
There has been a church on this spot since before the Normans arrived in England. The parts of the church you see today were mostly built starting in the 12th century. Later, in the 15th century, new windows and a tower were added.
This church was originally built for the bargemen who worked on the River Thames. There used to be a special dock, or quay, right next to the church, but it's gone now. St Mary's was a "chapel of ease" for a bigger church in Burnham. This meant it was a smaller church built for people who lived far from the main parish church.
In 1737, people tried to make St Mary's its own separate parish, but it didn't work. They couldn't raise enough money to support it. Around the mid-1800s, bricks were added to the outside bottom of the church to help keep it dry. In 1897, the decorative stone patterns in the windows, called tracery, were replaced.
What the Church Looks Like
St Mary's Church is built from flint and chalk stones, which are rough, natural materials. It also has smoother, cut stones called ashlar for details. Small pieces of flint are sometimes pressed into the mortar between the stones. This is called galletting, and it helps make the walls stronger and look nice.
The church has a tower covered in wooden planks. This tower stands on a wooden frame that rests directly on the ground. The main entrance door is on the south side of the church. High up on the west wall, there's a small, narrow window that probably dates back to the 12th century.
Inside the church, you can still see some of the original wooden benches, called pews, from the 15th century. Other furniture and decorations are from the 1700s and 1800s. On the north wall, there's a glass box holding pieces of old painted and gold-covered sculptures made of alabaster. These pieces might be from the 15th century and show scenes from the Bible.
The church also has three bells. The biggest bell was made around 1536 in Reading. The other two bells were made in 1631 and 1636 by a bell maker named Ellis I. Knight.
Saving the Church Today
In 1975, St Mary's Church was no longer used for regular services. There were plans to tear it down or turn it into homes. But local people fought to save it, and in 1983, a charity called the Friends of Friendless Churches took over its care. They have a very long lease for the church, lasting 999 years!
Even though it's not used every week, the church is still a holy place. It has been used for special services sometimes since 1983. However, the church had to close again because its tower became unsafe. When old plaster was removed from the tower's base, they found the wood underneath was badly rotted.
Fixing the tower was very expensive, costing £200,000. A large part of the money came from a grant from English Heritage, a group that protects historical sites. The rest of the money was raised from different groups and people, including Sir John Smith, the Francis Coales Charitable Foundation, and Eton College, which held a special concert to help.
The tower is now fixed, and more repairs were done on the windows in 2010–2011. The repair work on the tower even won an award in 2005 from the Royal Institute of British Architects!
