St Mary's Church, Princes Risborough
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Smithbats
N 51° 43.457 W 000° 50.074
30U E 649561 N 5732592
St Mary's Church - Princes Risborough.
Waymark Code: WMARP3
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/19/2011
Views: 3
Taken from the church website www.stmarysrisborough.org.uk
History of St Mary's
There has probably been a church on the site of St. Mary's for over 1000 years. All through this period, the church building has been the subject of continuing change and development up to the present day.
There have been three major landmarks in this process of development. Firstly the original Norman church was completely re-built in the thirteenth century and the oldest parts of the present building date from this time. Secondly, the church was extensively restored in 1868 and the internal appearance today is mainly the result of that restoration. Thirdly, the Chapter House was added to the church in 2008. This is a modern facility providing an attractive meeting room, modern office facilities, new vestry and toilets. The process of change and growth continues; plans are already well developed and fundraising is underway for a major renewal of the interior of the church in 2010.
The Exterior
The exterior of the church is faced in flint, in the local building style. At night the church is floodlit making it a prominent feature on the landscape, visible for miles around.
The tower at the west end of the church was rebuilt following its spectacular collapse in 1804. The present spire in Bath stone, was built in 1908 to replace the wooden spire of the previous century.
The tower bears four stone carvings representing the evangelists and houses two bells, which are rung before the services to call the faithful to worship. The tower clock was restored in 2000 to full working order to celebrate the new millennium.
Today the entrance to the church is through the south porch, in the centre of the south aisle. Above the porch arch is the stone carving of the Lamb and flag and a 19th century lantern.
The Interior
The Nave
Inside, the church is of simple design, consisting of a nave, chancel and west-end tower, with two chapels situated in the north and south aisles. The high altar lies at the east end of the chancel. Behind the altar is a beautifully carved reredos depicting the visit of the three wise men to the Holy Family.
Above the altar is a stained glass window showing Christ as King in majesty. The wooden altar and choirstalls all date from the 1868 restoration. The organ, in the north area of the chancel, is a two manual organ, brought from Christ Church, Crendon Street, High Wycombe in 1968.
The pulpit, at the north side of the chancel steps dates back to the late 1600's; the lectern stands at the south side of the chancel steps.
The Lady Chapel and South Aisle
The Lady Chapel is in the east end of the south aisle. The chapel is steeped in the prayers of Christians throughout the ages and is regularly used today by the small group who meet for Morning Prayer. The reredos behind the altar matches that behind the main altar.
The stained glass window in the east wall above the Lady Chapel altar depicts the Annunciation. The south window in the Lady Chapel is the lovely Apostles' window with twelve scenes of the Apostles.
At the north end of the south aisle lie the children's corner, a small children's library and the bookstall.
The Memorial Chapel and the North Aisle
At the east end of the north aisle is the Memorial Chapel, with the War Memorial commemorating the dead of the two World Wars. A lamp burns in the chapel to show the presence of the Reserved Sacrament in the Aumbry.
At the west end of the north aisle is the former vestry, with its carved wooden screen. In common with much of the wood work in the church, this was made locally in Haddenham in 1955. The vestry is now housed in the Chapter House and the planned Church renewal will see this screen moved to a new position behind the high altar, opening up the area to show the lovely stained glass window depicting a scene from the Nativity. The adjacent window depicts the Presentation of Christ in the Temple
The font, which until recently was positioned in front of the North door, has been removed to open up the access into the new Chapter House. The font will be reinstalled in a new position when the planned renewal of the Church has been completed.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1000
Age of Church building determined by?: Church website
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Church of England
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Street address of Church:
St Marys Church
Church Lane
Princes Risborough, Bucks England
HP27 9AW
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed
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