Group of four churchyard tombs north of the Church of St Mary is a Grade II listed building in the Reading local planning authority area, England. First listed on 14 December 1978. Tomb.

Group of four churchyard tombs north of the Church of St Mary

WRENN ID
tall-tracery-heron
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Reading
Constituency
Reading Central MP: Matt Rodda (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
14 December 1978
Type
Tomb
Address
Group of four churchyard tombs north of the Church of St Mary, St Mary's Churchyard, RG1 2LG
OS grid reference
SU 714 733
Coordinates
51.45469, -0.97376
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

A group of four burial tombs located north of the Church of St Mary, constructed between the 1730s and 1830s, are faced in light-grey limestone, likely Portland stone.

The south-western tomb, built around 1732, is a large chest tomb featuring set-back corner pilasters and carved side panels, with angel carvings on the western face. It still has cast iron railings topped with urns on the corner posts.

The south-eastern tomb, erected in the 1790s, has a cuboidal shape with rectangular panels on the north and south faces that bear dedications to members of the Martin family.

The north-western tomb, built around 1820 and set apart from the others, has a moulded top and reeded side piers. It originally had a wide surround for railings, which have since been removed.

The north-eastern tomb, dedicated to John Tappenden and erected around 1830, features pediments on the north and south faces, inward-tapered corners with banded, angled piers on the sides, and a cross-gabled capstone.

Local climate

Group of four churchyard tombs north of the Church of St Mary sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 80% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 73% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 53% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  5. The Allied Arms Inn, 57 St Mary’s Butts Grade II 48 m
  6. Harrinson Testimonial Cross Grade II 60 m
  7. Queen Victoria Jubilee Fountain Grade II 62 m
  8. Congregational Church and 89 and 89A Broad Street Grade II 67 m
  9. 95, Broad Street Grade II 87 m
  10. 35, 36 and 37 St Mary's Butts Grade II 94 m