St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston
| St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston | |
|---|---|
 | |
  St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston Location in Buckinghamshire | |
| 51°50′13″N 0°52′11″W / 51.8369°N 0.8697°W | |
| OS grid reference | SP779159 |
| Location | Fleet Marston, Buckinghamshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 21 December 1967 |
| Architect(s) | George Gilbert Scott (restoration) |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, roofs tiled |
St Mary's Church is the redundant Church of England parish church of the deserted medieval village of Fleet Marston, Buckinghamshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2] The church stands in a field to the northeast of the A41 road, some 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Aylesbury.[2][3] John Wesley preached his first sermon in the church soon after he was ordained deacon in September 1725.[2][4]
History[edit]
The church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, and probably stands on the site of an earlier church.[2] Alterations were made in the 14th and 15th centuries.[1] It was restored in 1868 by George Gilbert Scott.[2] The church was declared redundant on 20 January 1972 and was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 24 October 1973.[5]
Architecture[edit]
St Mary's is built of coursed rubble stone and has tiled roofs. The church stands on a plinth and has diagonal buttresses. Its plan consists of a nave with a north porch, and a chancel. At the west end of the gable is a bellcote. In the north wall of the nave, in addition to the porch, is a large single-light window, and a restored 15th-century two-light window. The south wall contains a four-light window. In the north and east walls of the chancel are single-light windows. In the south wall is a similar window, a two-light window, and a doorway.[1]
Inside the church is a chancel arch dating from the early 14th century. It is carried on semi-octagonal piers whose capitals are decorated with ball flower motifs. The roof dates from the 15th century. In a window-sill on the south of the chancel is a piscina. The font consists of a circular bowl on a plain stem, and possibly dates from the 13th century. In the church are memorial tablets dating from the late 18th and the 19th centuries.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Historic England, "Church of St Mary, Fleet Marston (1117838)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 11 April 2014
- ^ a b c d e St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston, Buckinghamshire, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 1 April 2011
- ^ Fleet Marston, Streetmap, retrieved 1 April 2011
- ^ Oxford: Home of the "first rise" of Methodism, Methodist Recorder Online, archived from the original on 14 May 2011, retrieved 1 April 2011
- ^ Diocese of Oxford: All Schemes (PDF), Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2010, p. 4, retrieved 1 April 2011
Further reading[edit]
- Page, W.H., ed. (1927). A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 74–76.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1973) [1966]. Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 136. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.