The Collegiate Church of St Mary is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is in the centre of the town just east of the

market place A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

. It is

Grade I listed 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 a member of the Major Churches Network. The church has the status of

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

as it had a college of secular canons. In governance and religious observance it was similar to a cathedral (although not the seat of a bishop and without diocesan responsibilities). There is a Bishop of Warwick, but this is an episcopal title used by a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

of the Diocese of Coventry.

History

Foundation and early years

The church foundations date back nine hundred years, being created by Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, in 1123. In addition to founding the church, de Beaumont established the college of dean and canons at the church. The only surviving part of the Norman church which de Beaumont had built is the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

. The chancel vestries and chapter house of the church were extensively rebuilt in the 14th century by a later Earl of Warwick, Thomas de Beauchamp (died 1369, later pronounced Beecham), in the

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

style. Between 1370 and 1394, the chancel, transept, nave and aisles were rebuilt, then forming a basilica with wooden roofs. Thomas Beauchamp's descendants built the Chapel of Our Lady, commonly known as the Beauchamp Chapel. It contains the effigial monuments of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, and

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ove ...

. Buried in the chancel of the church is William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, the brother of queen consort

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...

."Warter - Warwick-Bridge",
A Topographical Dictionary of England
' (1848), pp. 475-482. Date accessed: 28 May 2011.

Sixteenth century onwards

The college was dissolved in 1546, and the church was granted by the Crown to the burgesses of Warwick. Before their destruction in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as (). He is partic ...

copied many of the stained glass windows in the Beauchamp Chapel, showing heraldry of the Beauchamp family. The church, along with much of Warwick, was devastated by the Great Fire of Warwick in 1693. The nave and tower of the building were completely destroyed. In 1704, the rebuilt church was completed in a Gothic design by William Wilson (appointed by the Crown Commissioners). Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

is also said to have contributed to the design, but that is disputed. The tower rises to the height of . The design was described by

John Summerson Sir John Newenham Summerson (25 November 1904 – 10 November 1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century. Early life John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. His grandfather wo ...

as being "as remarkable for its success as for its independence in style from other seventeenth-century English Gothic". The church has been undergoing significant maintenance for renovation since early 2023 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2023. At a cost of 1.4 million, the renovation was planned after a piece of masonry fell from the church's tower.

Deans of the College

*Robert Plesset, 1282 *Thomas de Sodynton, 1290 *William de Apperley, 1297 *Robert Tankard, 1306 *Richard de Alcester, 1313 *Robert de Geryn, 1314 *Robert de Lee, 1321 *Thomas Lench, 1338 *Robert de Endredeby, 1340 *Nicholas Southam, 1361 *Thomas Yonge, 1395 *John Porter, 1432 *Robert Cherbury, 1443 *William Berkswell, 14 *John Southwell, 1469 *Edmund Albone, M.D., 1481 *Richard Brackenburgh, 1485 *William Stokedale, 1498 *Edward Haseley, 1498 *Ralph Colingwode, 1507 *John Allestre, 1510 *John Carvanell, 1515 *John Knightley, 1542

Music

Organs

There are two organs in St. Mary's, the transept organ and one at the west end. The specifications of both organs can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. The Transept Organ has been rebuilt several times since the 19th century.National Pipe Organ Register
British Institute of Organ Studies. The West End Organ is described as having been built in 1980. The NPOR does not give a date for the organ case with its gilt diapasons, which appears to predate the instrument itself."West End Organ"
National Pipe Organ Register
British Institute of Organ Studies.

Organists (prior to 1976)

*William Witteney 1409 *John Soursby 1432 *John Skyrrowe 1562 *Richard Charpe 1565 *Thomas Dean 1719 *William Dean 1744 *Jonathan Hobbs 1773 *Mary Hobbs 1787 *Mrs R. Hobbs 1801 *James Marshall 1802 * Edward Dearle 1833 *William Clayton 1844 *W. Wyver 1861 *James Shaw 1864 *D. Middleton 1864 * Bernard Farebrother 1867 *Edwin Aspa 1871 *A.J. Sutton 1874 *Hanson de la Haye Blackith 1882 *William Bellamy 1886 *William McDuff 1894 *Allen Blackall 1898 *Peter Burton 1946 * Thomas Tunnard 1950 * Douglas Clarke 1958The Canadian Encyclopedia
/ref> *Geoffrey Holroyde 1962 *Andrew Fletcher 1973 (The position of Organist was replaced with that of Director of Music from 1976)

Directors of Music

*Andrew Fletcher 1976 (originally appointed as Organist in 1973) *Paul Trepte 1981 * Simon Lole 1985 *Mark Shepherd 1994 *Chris Betts 1998 * Katherine Dienes 2001-2007 *Thomas Corns 2008-2017 *Oliver Hancock 2018

Assistant Organists

* Arthur Wills 1946-48 * Edward Higginbottom 1965-67 *Colin Roy 1967-1969 *Andrew Fletcher 1971-73 *Arthur Hilyer 1974 *Tim Peters *Charles Matthews 1987-89 (The position of Assistant Organist was replaced with that of Organist from 1989)

Organists (from 1989)

* Kevin Bowyer 1989 *Christopher Monks 1998 (from 1999 the position of Organist was combined with the new post of assistant director of Music)

Organists and assistant directors of Music

*Christopher Monks 1999 (originally appointed as Organist in 1998) * Luke Bond 2002 (assistant director of Music,

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. His ...

from 2008 to 2017, then at

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...

) *Ruaraidh Sutherland 2006 (Organist at

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

from 2019) *Mark Swinton 2011

Image gallery

File:Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick.jpg, The tower in 2016 Image:St Mary Warwick 3.jpg, From Northgate Street Image:St. Mary's Church Beauchamp Chapel.jpg, Beauchamp Chapel Image:Beauchamp Chapel 2.jpg, Beauchamp Chapel west wall Image:St. Mary's Church Nave Altar.jpg, Church Nave Altar Image:St. Mary's Church Crypts.jpg, The Crypt File:Deans Chapel.jpg, Dean's Chapel Image:St Mary Warwick 1.jpg, Interior looking east Image:St Mary Warwick 2.jpg, Interior looking west Image:The Beauchamp chapel Warwick Collegiate Church.jpg, The view from within the Beauchamp Chapel Image:Entrance to the Beauchamp Chapel at St Mary's.jpg, The entrance to the Beauchamp family chapel in St Mary's File:Ambrose Dudley 01 Warwick St Marys.JPG, Effigy of Ambrose Dudley on his tomb in the Beauchamp Chapel File:Ambrose Dudley bear Warwick St Marys.JPG, Bear at feet of Ambrose Dudley on his tomb File:Robert Dudley Lettice Knollys 01 Warwick St Marys.JPG, Effigies of Robert Dudley and Lettice Knollys on their tomb in the Beauchamp Chapel File:Lettice Knollys 01 Warwick St Marys.JPG, Effigy of Lettice Knollys. File:Dudley Knollys tomb lion Warwick St Marys.JPG, Lion rampant queue-fourché, emblem of the Dudley family, on the Dudley/Knollys tomb File:Dudley Knollys tomb inscription Warwick St Marys.JPG, Inscription on rear panel of tomb of Robert Dudley and Lettice Knollys File:Dudley Knollys tomb coat of arms Warwick St Marys.JPG, Coat of Arms of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester File:Dudley Knollys tomb bear Warwick St Marys.JPG, Bear and ragged staff, emblem of the earls, city and county of Warwick. Tomb of Robert Dudley and Lettice Knollys File:Effigy of Richard de Beauchamp in Warwick.jpg, Effigy of Richard Beauchamp File:Noble Impe 01 Warwick St Marys.JPG, Effigy of Robert Dudley, son of Robert Dudley and Lettice Knollys, known as the "Noble Impe", on his tomb in the Beauchamp Chapel File:Noble Impe 02 Warwick St Marys.JPG, Tomb of Robert Dudley, the "Noble Impe" File:Noble Impe inscription Warwick St Marys.JPG, Inscription on tomb of the "Noble Impe" File:Collegiate Church of St Mary undergoing maintenance from Castle Street, Warwick.jpg, Scaffolding on the tower during maintenance works in 2023 from Castle Street

References

External links

Church websiteVicar's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warwick, Collegiate, Saint Mary 1123 establishments in England Churches completed in the 1120s Church of England church buildings in Warwickshire Buildings and structures in Warwick Collegiate churches in England Grade I listed churches in Warwickshire 12th-century church buildings in England