Church of Saint Mary

SP 9433-9533 8/140

WOBURN PARK STREET Church of Saint Mary

1.3.72

GV II* Parish church. 1865-68 by Henry Clutton for William 8th Duke of Bedford. Ashlar, with tiled roofs. Chancel, north vestry, nave, north and south aisles, west tower.

Developed late C12 French style. Most windows are single lights without tracery, flanked by engaged slender columns, with almost semi-circular pointed arches and dripstones. Most buttresses are surmounted by gargoyle waterspouts. Mostly plain parapets with ornamental corbelling. Stone coping to gables with variety of cross finials.

Chancel: of three bays, above a vaulted crypt. Side walls have three windows each, east elevation has two windows surmounted by a rose window at attic level. North vestry: single-storeyed with pyramidal roof and tall chimney stack to north elevation. Square-headed mullioned windows to east. Nave: five bays, with lower floor level than chancel. West elevation has two windows surmounted by a rose window at attic level. Five bay arcades to both sides on slender paired columns. These have shaft rings and crocket capitals, and support ribbed stone vaulting to nave and aisles.

Aisles: north aisle of five bays, with one window each to west and east ends and five to north. South aisle is of four bays, with four south windows and one east window. At west end west tower takes place of what would be south aisle fifth bay. Circular stair turret to north east angle. Shallow angle buttresses and embattled parapet. Main entrance is to south elevation. Square-headed double doors within moulded round-arch with slender engaged columns. This is set in gabled bay which projects to line with buttresses and has carved lizard stops to moulding.

Bell-stage has paired louvred openings, similar to windows but more deeply recessed and with three columns to each side of surround. At this level stair turret has blind arcading. Gargoyles lean out from tops of parapet angles.

Interior: main enrichment of nave and aisles consists of engaged columns, folite carving to capitals, ribbed vaulting etc. Carved decoration to chancel panelling and choirstalls, organ (at east end of north aisle) and pulpit (projecting into nave from chancel). Gilded and painted reredos by Caröe, shows scenes of Annunciation, Nativity, angels and saints in canopied riches. Glass to east windows of chancel 1893 by Kempe. Nave has circular font with carved decoration of crosses and doves in circles.

Bedfordshire Record Office: R5/917, General Account: Cash Book.

Listing NGR: SP9504033273