The Church of St Mary and St Peter,
Tidenham
Tidenham () is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean (district), Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Wales, Welsh border. Tidenham is bounded by the River Wye (which forms the Welsh border) to the west ...
, is a
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of the
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province ...
, England. It dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and was extensively restored by
John Norton in 1858. It is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and remains an active parish church.
History
The church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The west tower is the earliest remaining part, dating from the early 13th century. Much of the rest, including most of the windows, is of the 14th century. In 1858, a restoration was undertaken by
John Norton. David Verey and Alan Brooks, in their revised 2002 volume, ''Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and the Forest of Dean'', in the
Pevsner Buildings of England series, called the restoration "drastic" while
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
describes it as "extensive".
Declining attendance and the lack of modern facilities, in particular a car park, threatened the ongoing viability of the church in the early 21st century. However, it remains an active parish church as of June 2021.
Architecture and description
Verey and Brooks note the church's favourable situation, "beautifully sited, with splendid views across the
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary () is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very h ...
". The building comprises a large west tower,
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 ...
,
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
,
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
,
aisle
An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
and porch. The building material is
Red sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains, cemented together by another mineral. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed o ...
rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...
.
Listing designations
The church has a
Grade II* listing designation.
In addition, the churchyard contains a large number of
Grade II listed monuments including four commemorating members of the Webley family; one to Francis and Dorothy Seaborne and one to the Madocke family; one each to Mary Smith, Henry Jones, William Humpfrey,
James Woodhouse, and Richard Jenkins; and three to unidentified persons.
Notes
References
Sources
*
{{Commons category, St Mary's church, Tidenham
Church of England church buildings in Gloucestershire
Grade II* listed churches in Gloucestershire
Mary and Peter