One of the oldest churches in its area, St Mary's was consecrated on 19 August 1283 by

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Godfrey Giffard Godfrey Giffard ( 12351302) was Chancellor of the Exchequer of England, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Worcester. Early life Giffard was a son of Hugh Giffard of Boyton in Wiltshire,vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

, Gerinus, in 1154. It is one of four churches in the town of

Wotton-under-Edge Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern fringe of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058, Wotton is ab ...

in Gloucestershire.

Layout

Sacristy

The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

was built in the 1830s and contains charity boards that were originally from the galleries, located at the west end of the church. The sacristy contains clothing for the acolytes and minister, as well as other items used within the service.

Sanctuary

The roof over the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

is all that remains of the 16th century roof that covered the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

(a more recent part of this church) is made from

English Oak ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...

in 14th Century style to blend in with the historic image of the rest of the church, in memory of Charlotte Sewell, mother of vicar Canon Sewell (1882–1902). The East Window dates back to the completion of the church in 1325, depicting

angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

and

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

in adoration of Christ.

Brasses

This is the area near the sacristy containing the tombs of Lord Thomas IV and

Lady Berkeley The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

. Lord Thomas was the Admiral of the

King's Fleet Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

and fought in the battle of Agincourt. . The brasses over their tombs date from 1392 and are thus the second oldest in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Chancel & Choir

The choir stalls were built into the church in 1885, the incredible chandelier that swings above was a gift from clothier William Moore, in 1763 - but is only lit at major events.

The Catherine Chapel

The Catharine

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

is located at the top of the north aisle. It is named after St Catherine, not to be confused with Lady Berkeley. The chapel was originally built in medieval times, possibly not long after the actual church. It was enlarged in 1780 to form a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

and then restored as a chapel in 1928. It is now used for Friday morning prayer.

Tower

The church tower is located at the west of the church. It was built in six stages, the first two in c.1320, at the time of the church construction. The latter four were built slightly later but completed by the end of the 14th Century. It stands 47 metres tall.

Clock

Built in 1902, the

clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

is about halfway up the west side of the tower, with a clock face measuring six feet in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid for ...

. The

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

and numbers are made from brass.

Bells

The bells were originally cast in 1756 in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

by Abel Rudhall. In 1902, during a

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

of the tower (including the clock), they were hung on

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

frames, and then rehung again in 1960. They sound in the key of E-flat.

The Organ

The church is perhaps best known for its large organ. Positioned in the south-east corner of the church, adjacent to the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

; it is one of the biggest organs in the county and is famed for having been played by Georg Handel when in its previous location of St Martin in the Fields.
The organ was presented to St Martin in the Fields by King George I It possesses a large range of

stop Stop may refer to: Places * Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...

s over three manuals and a pedalboard, including two

trumpets The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

, six diapasons, a cornopean, and a

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary the Virgin, Wotton-under-Edge

Diocese of Gloucester Grade II listed churches in Gloucestershire Wotton-under-Edge