St Mary's may seem a surprisingly big church for a small village, reflecting its history as being the centre of the Mediaeval Stottesdon Hundred. There has been a place of worship here for over a thousand years. The listed, heritage building you see now is the result of ten centuries of the evolution of a Saxon church. The early Medieval lintel and carving in the tympanum at the base of the tower are remnants from this time.St Mary's is distinguished by its beautiful Hereford School carved stone font which was made in 1138 by the 'Aston Master Mason' and is an example of Romanesque Sculpture. It is intricately carved from a single piece of stone.In the 1300s the tower was extended, clearly shown through more subtle stonework. The South aisle was also extended to become virtually as big as the Nave and the porch was added. During this time the chancel was built in what is called Decorated style. This style of architecture was common in England from about 1290 to about 1350. Its main feature was the ornamental stone carving around windows and doors.In 1771 the south aisle was rebuilt following a collapse. The Victorian era saw major changes to St. Mary's as part of a huge church building renovation programme to cater for a growing number of church-goers. The pews and eagle lectern date from this period.In 1901 the rood screen was added in the Arts and Crafts style using nature as inspiration and the value of simplicity, utility and beauty.A major restoration completed in 2024 (with National Lottery funding) included new heritage interpretation so that everyone can learn about this thousand-year old treasure at the heart of our community. Come and see for yourselves or visit https://www.stottyheritage.co.uk for a preview!
Stottesdon St Mary's has a ring of 4 bells hanging on a heritage wood frame. We have an active group of ringers but always welcome new people who would like to learn this art.We have a practice evening every Friday starting at 5:00pm for 1 hour, and ring for Sunday services at 10:00am for 30 mins before the service starts.If you are interested in joining our bellringers please email clive.jackson@mac.comA brief history of the bells and towerThe bell tower was built in two stages between around 1150 and 1350.In 1552 inventory records "4 belles and a lyttle belle". In 1752 these were recast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester to make a peal of 5 bells.Around 1800 the No. 2 bell cracked and was removed from the frame and there are now only the four bells. The bells are well pitched G-A-B-C with the treble (smallest) bell weighing in at around 5.5CWT and the tenor (biggest) at 9.5CWT. The bells were rung continuously until 1949 when ringing was suspended because of the structural state of the tower.Repairs to the tower were carried out in 1971 and more extensively in 1992, although because of deterioration of the wheels and bearings the bells still couldn't be rung until a modest scheme of restoration was performed between 2002-2005 when full circle ringing resumed.In 2024 further work was carried out on the treble bell and bell-frame and are all bells now all in good condition and rung for services and special occasions.The bells are inscribed; Treble - PROSPERITY TO THE PARISH; No. 2 - ABEL RUDHALL CAST US ALL; No. 3 - EDWD. POWIS & EDWD. HYDE CHURCHWARDENS; Tenor - I TO THE CHURCH THE LIVING CALL AND TO THE GRAVE DO SUMMON ALL.A bit about the clockThe clock is referred to as early as 1776 in the churchwardens accounts for repairs. The present clock is dated 1855 and is inscribed SAMUEL EDWARDS, BRIDGNORTH, THOMAS HYDE AND BENJAMIN BIRKIN, CHURCHWARDENS.It is interesting that the surname of one the churchwardens is the same as when the bells were recast a hundred years before.The clock has given excellent service for 150 years. In 1992 the dial was restored, but otherwise with a minimum of maintenance required. The clock was wound manually by members of the Morris family in the village until 2015 when a grant was obtained to fit a mechanism to automatically wind the weights.
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