St Mary's Church is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

church in

Marshwood Marshwood is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the northern edge of the Marshwood Vale approximately northeast of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimate that the parish had a population of 310 in 2013. Figures p ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England. The earliest part of the church is the tower, which dates to 1840, while the rest of the building dates to a rebuild of 1883–84. St Mary's has been a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

since 1983.

History

Marshwood was originally served by a chapel dedicated to St Mary, which was located on the edge of Marshwood Castle. It had Norman origins and became a ruin in the 17th century. Plans for a replacement to serve the village did not come to fruition until the 19th century when fundraising began in the 1830s. The site for a new church was donated by Mr. C. B. Tucker of Chard in 1839 and Mr. Jesse Cornick of Bridport was awarded the contract for its construction in January 1840. The foundation stone was laid at a ceremony on 25 March 1840, which was witnessed by approximately 2,000 people. The main body of the church and tower was completed by the end of November. St Mary's was consecrated on 26 October 1841 by the

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in the ...

, Edward Stanley, acting on behalf of the

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

who was absent due to bereavement. Once the church was completed, attention turned to fundraising for a national school to be built in the village, which was erected in 1842 on land again donated by Mr. Tucker. By the 1880s, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair and required immediate restoration, with fundraising led by Rev. William Toms. In 1883, plans drawn up by the architect Mr. G. Viles of London were accepted and the church, except for its tower, was rebuilt by Messrs Randall of

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

for a cost of £900. The church reopened with a ceremony on 15 May 1884.The Bridport News – Marshwood: Opening of the new church – 16 May 1884 In 2000, St Mary's Church and the adjacent primary school formed a partnership, allowing the school use of the church as a classroom and hall. Improvements to the church were carried out for the benefit of the school and congregation, including new seating and flooring. The church was then rededicated by the Bishop of Salisbury,

David Stancliffe David Staffurth Stancliffe (born 1 October 1942) is a retired Church of England bishop. He was Provost of Portsmouth Cathedral from 1982 to 1993, and the Bishop of Salisbury from 1993 to 2010. He is the third generation of his family to serve the ...

, on 3 October 2002. A new vestry was completed in 2007, allowing the original one to be used by the school as storage space.

Notable burials

Peter De Greef Peter De Greef (17 May 1922 – 29 March 1980) was a British actor who made a number of film appearances in the 1940s and 50s including '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944). He was born as Edward Denaston William De Greeff in 1922 in Marylebone in Londo ...

(1922-1980), film actor resident in the village

References

External links

*
Golden Cap Team of Churches website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Marshwood Churches in Dorset Grade II listed churches in Dorset Church of England church buildings in Dorset