St Mary's, Devizes, Interior
The chancel and arch St Mary's Church in the Wiltshire market town of Devizes (pop. 15,500) possible. I was in here filming for our COVID lockdown services, and thought this would make a good still photo. After several earlier attempts, at the last minute I wondered if the flashlight on my phone would have enough oomph to add some definition to the spandrel. I think it made the shot.
St Mary’s Church was built in the 12th century to serve the new borough of Devizes, outside the castle area, which was served by nearby St John's. All that remains of the early church is the chancel, centre of shot here. Beyond that, there isnothing dateable in the rest of the church earlier than the 13th or 14th century. There were radical alterations to the church structure in the 15th century when the walls were heightened, the south porch increased to two storeys with a stair turret and windows, buttresses and roofs replaced and renewed. This is when the stonecarving on the chancel arch was carried out, as well as substantial repairs to the rib vaulting in the chancel itself.
There were changes here during the Reformation including the removal of the rood screen in 1561. The church remained largely unchanged then until the 1850s when there was a restoration, the church was repewed and a vestry built.
By the 1890s cracks were beginning to appear in the walls of the tower and these were repaired in 1897-8. The church is of dressed stone with a chancel, an aisled and clerestoried nave with a south porch and west tower. In the chancel there is a dole table, probably of the 15th century. During the Civil War lead was taken from the roof to manufacture bullets. The church, sharing a common incumbent with St John’s since its 12th Century origins, has not held regular Sunday services since 2006 although at least one weekly midweek service takes place
St Mary's, Devizes, Interior
The chancel and arch St Mary's Church in the Wiltshire market town of Devizes (pop. 15,500) possible. I was in here filming for our COVID lockdown services, and thought this would make a good still photo. After several earlier attempts, at the last minute I wondered if the flashlight on my phone would have enough oomph to add some definition to the spandrel. I think it made the shot.
St Mary’s Church was built in the 12th century to serve the new borough of Devizes, outside the castle area, which was served by nearby St John's. All that remains of the early church is the chancel, centre of shot here. Beyond that, there isnothing dateable in the rest of the church earlier than the 13th or 14th century. There were radical alterations to the church structure in the 15th century when the walls were heightened, the south porch increased to two storeys with a stair turret and windows, buttresses and roofs replaced and renewed. This is when the stonecarving on the chancel arch was carried out, as well as substantial repairs to the rib vaulting in the chancel itself.
There were changes here during the Reformation including the removal of the rood screen in 1561. The church remained largely unchanged then until the 1850s when there was a restoration, the church was repewed and a vestry built.
By the 1890s cracks were beginning to appear in the walls of the tower and these were repaired in 1897-8. The church is of dressed stone with a chancel, an aisled and clerestoried nave with a south porch and west tower. In the chancel there is a dole table, probably of the 15th century. During the Civil War lead was taken from the roof to manufacture bullets. The church, sharing a common incumbent with St John’s since its 12th Century origins, has not held regular Sunday services since 2006 although at least one weekly midweek service takes place