Church Of St Mary The Virgin is a Grade II* listed building in the Bedford local planning authority area, England. First listed on 13 July 1964. Church.

Church Of St Mary The Virgin

WRENN ID
buried-plinth-elm
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Bedford
Country
England
Date first listed
13 July 1964
Type
Church
Source
Historic England listing

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Description

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a medieval parish church that has undergone significant restoration in the mid-19th century. It is constructed from coursed limestone rubble and features an irregular cruciform plan with a central tower. The tower's shape suggests Saxo-Norman origins, although its details, such as the corner gargoyles and double trefoiled lights on each side, date from the 14th century. The chancel is a 19th-century restoration of a 14th-century rebuilding and includes two arched tomb recesses; however, it is currently derelict and bricked off from the tower.

To the north, there is a roofless vestry that was rebuilt in the 19th century. The north transept, which overlaps both the tower and chancel, is a 19th-century renovation of the St John Chapel and contains a wall memorial to Frances Countess Bolingbroke, who died in 1678. The south transept, restored in the 14th century, is slightly askew to the tower's axis. The aisleless nave, heavily restored but likely originating from the late 13th century, houses the memorial of Sir John St John, who died in 1559. This alabaster memorial, depicting his family under a canopy supported by columns, was moved from the north transept in 1978. Additionally, there is a 19th-century rebuilt porch on the south side of the nave, featuring diagonal corner buttresses at its west end, and an octagonal font from the 15th century.

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