St Mary the Virgin, Great Brickhill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary the Virgin's Church, Great Brickhill |
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St Mary the Virgin's Church, Great Brickhill
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| 52°00′1.5″N 0°40′42.5″W / 52.000417°N 0.678472°W | |
| Location | Great Brickhill |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Great Brickhill |
| Deanery | Mursley |
| Archdeaconry | Buckingham |
| Diocese | Diocese of Oxford |
St Mary the Virgin's Church in Great Brickhill, Buckinghamshire, is a historic parish church. It belongs to the Church of England and is recognized as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historical site!
Contents
History of the Church
This church was first built a very long time ago, in the 1200s. Over the years, new parts were added to it. For example, between 1865 and 1867, the church was repaired and a new porch was built.
Modern Updates and Repairs
In 1997, a big project started to make the church ready for the 21st century. This project had two main parts. The first part was to fix up the church's towers and bells. The second part was to make the church bigger by adding new rooms, like a meeting room, a kitchen, and toilets. By April 2024, the first part was completely finished, and most of the second part was also done.
Between 2014 and 2016, something sad happened: the lead roof of the church was stolen. Because there wasn't enough money right away, some parts of the missing roof were covered with felt. In October 2023, there was a worry that the church might have to close if the roof wasn't fixed because water was leaking inside. Luckily, the National Churches Trust promised a large amount of money, £473,750, to help fix the roof. This money was shared with 33 other churches that also needed repairs.
Outside the Church
The church's bell tower was built in the middle of the 1200s. However, the first time anyone wrote about bells actually being in the tower was in 1637. Later, in 1789, six bells were made by Thomas and William Mears at a famous bell factory called the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which is now closed. In 1840, one of these bells was remade for a reason we don't know.
Thanks to money from the local parish council and other groups, the bells were taken to a company called Whites of Appleton in Oxfordshire in October 2009 to be repaired. Two brand new bells were also made. In April 2010, all the bells were brought back and put up in the tower again.
The church also has a churchyard, which is like a special garden around the church. It was closed at some point, but a new cemetery run by the church was built nearby.
Inside the Church
Inside St Mary the Virgin's Church, you can find a pipe organ. This organ was built in 1875 by a company called William Hill and Son. If you're interested in organs, you can find more details about this one on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Church Community
St Mary the Virgin's Church is part of a group of churches that work together. It shares a parish with:
- All Saints Church, Bow Brickhill
- St Mary Magdalene's Church, Little Brickhill
- St Luke's Church, Stoke Hammond
