St.
Mary
Another contribution to this series, started by sadexploration,
is St. Mary's, Guildford.
St Mary’s Church in Quarry Street is the oldest surviving
building in Guildford and is almost certainly the original church
of the town. The Saxon settlers in the area became Christians
during the 7th century AD and would at first have built a wooden
church, very probably on the present site. The present stone tower
was built between 950 and 1100.
After the Conquest the chancel, to the east of the tower, was
rebuilt in stone in the Norman style: traces of the windows can
still be seen in the side walls. In about 1220 two transepts were
added to the north and south of the tower, and arches opened into
them through the tower walls. It was probably at this time that the
King, Henry I, gave the privilege of appointing the priest – the
advowson – of St Mary’s to the Canons of Merton Priory, who held it
until the Reformation. About twenty years later the chancel was
reconstructed and two side chapels with rounded or apsidal ends
added on either side: St John’s to the north and St Mary’s to the
south. There was by this time a nave to the west of the tower and
later in the 12th century narrow aisles were added, a pillared
arcade being opened in the walls of the nave (see plan). The
wall-paintings, traces of which are still visible in St. John’s
Chapel, were probably executed around 1200. Early in the 13th
century the chancel and the side chapels were remodelled in the
current ‘Early English’ style, with ribbed vaulting. Under Henry
III in the mid 13th century the aisles were extended to their
present width and height, and the north doorway made.
Essentially, St. Mary’s church has changed little since this
work was finished at the height of Guildford Castle’s prosperity.
Later in the Middle Ages windows were added or replaced and in the
15th century the whole church was re-roofed, with the exception of
St. John’s chapel, which retains an earlier scissor-brace roof.
There would have been at least six altars in the church in the
later Middle Ages: the High Altar in the chancel, one in each of
the chapels, one of the east end of each aisle (where the niches to
contain the sacramental vessels can be seen) and finally one in
front of the rood screen. This was a wooden screen blocking the
arch between the nave and the tower. Above it would have stood a
large crucifix or rood, with a gallery or loft reached by the
doorway visible high up in the tower wall.
A straight forward micro.
The cache has a log book only plus micro certificates and hand
made micro churches but no pen so please bring one with you.
If anybody would like
to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could
let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church
numbers and names to avoid duplication