St Mary's, Luton, is an Anglican
Church right in the centre of the town of Luton, England. The
church has a rich and long history, being over 850 years old and
has been rebuilt and refurbished constantly over the centuries. The
Church is one of the largest in Bedfordshire and considered a fine
example of medieval architecture. The Church is part of the St
Albans Diocese
History
The site of St Mary's has been the
centre of worship for people in the area for over 1,000 years, and
a church was built in about 930 AD by King Athelstan as an act of
thanksgiving for victory over the Danes. The land here was owned by
the king in Saxon and early Norman times and the church was very
richly endowed.
12th Century
The current site of the church itself
was built by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester in 1121 and consecrated
in 1137. The original structure of the church was a cruciform
without aisles, but with the increases in population, the north and
south aisles were added within 40 years of each other at the turn
of the 13th Century.
14th Century
This was a time of great extension to
the church, with a tower being built, transepts being extended,
with twin arches opening into the new chapels on their east side. A
vaulted sacristy with an upper room was built north of the chancel
and a new font was given a unique canopy of richly carved stone in
an octaganol shape
15th Century
A lot of restoration and rebuilding
work was carried out in this time, with Someries chapel being
extended, the sacristy being re-built further east and the west
tower made taller and having most of the windows renewed. All this
work was carried out with the help of Lord John Wenlock, whose
family had been connected with the church since 1389. In 1461 the
chapel was renamed the Wenlock Chapel, and William Wenlock (father
of John) is one of three people interred there
19th and 20th centuries
Again, in this time, restoration work
began to help restore the church to its full glory. The distinctive
flint and stone chequer was extended to cover most of the church
and the tower was restored in 1906 and the Wenlock chapel was also
restored in 1914. In the 1960s, offices, halls and vestries were
built in the chequered style to provide more space and the
Magnificat Window in the south transept was installed in
1979..
Clock of St Mary's
The clock itself was installed in
1901, and faced west across the town. However, after two overhauls
in 1909 and 1949, which included the installation of a new bell,
the clock's mechanism's seized and gave up in 1979. The bell was
not heard for 28 years, until the University of Bedfordshire
(formerly of Luton), decided to offer to help restore the clock,
ready for the new year and the millennium. The university owned
buildings next to the church and decided it was time to restore the
clock to its former glory. The clock was officially re-opened on
November 11 1999, Armistice Day..
Architecture
The architecture of St Mary's is
varied as the church has been renovated and rebuilt many times, but
the basic layout is that of a cruciform, with north/south aisles
and many chapels and extensions in various directions heading off
the main church. The total length of the church is 53m (174ft), the
total width is 17m (57ft), and the height is 27m (90ft).[1] The
outside of the church is clad in a distinctive flint and stone
chequer, which makes the church stand out in the town
The graveyard in the direct vicinity
of the church is no longer used, but a cemetery that covers most of
St Anne's hill, the Luton Church Cemetery, is about a mile from the
church, heading up to Crawley Green.
If anybody would like to expand to
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