Church of St Mary the Virgin, Wellingborough
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Church of England parish church in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. The church is a Grade I listed building.[1]
Church of St Mary the Virgin | |
---|---|
Location | Knox Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 1PX |
Country | England |
Denomination | Church of England |
Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
History | |
Status | Active |
Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Parish church |
Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
Architect(s) | Sir Ninian Comper |
Architectural type | Perpendicular Gothic |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Peterborough |
Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Northampton |
Deanery | Wellingborough |
Parish | St Mary the Virgin Wellingborough |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | The Rt Revd Norman Banks, SSC (AEO) |
Vicar(s) | Fr Robert Farmer, SSC |
History
The church was built from 1908 to 1930, and was designed by Sir Ninian Comper.[1] It is in the Perpendicular Gothic style.[1] The design and interior of the church was influenced by the Oxford Movement and the Victorian revival of ritualism[2] Financing of the work was largely due to the Misses Sharman of Wellingborough.
On 9 June 1970, St Mary's Church was designated a Grade I listed building.[1] It is one of only a few Grade I listed buildings built in the 20th century.
Present day
The parish of St Mary the Virgin Wellingborough is in the Archdeaconry of Northampton in the Diocese of Peterborough.[3]
St Mary's stands in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England.[3] As the parish has passed resolutions to reject the ordination of women, it receives alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Richborough (currently Norman Banks).[4] It is also affiliated with Forward in Faith and The Society.[5][6]
Notable clergy
- Michael Bent, later Archdeacon of Taranaki in New Zealand and Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Fiji, served his curacy here from 1955 to 1960.[7][8]
List of vicars
1948-1951: Fr Fisher
- 1952–1966: Fr Raymond Brown
- 1967–1988: Fr Thomas Finch
- 1990–1994: Fr Alan Robinson (priest in charge) (now Rector of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Maiden Lane - the Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament for the Diocese of Westminster)
- 1996–present: Fr Robert Farmer, SSC (priest in charge, 1996–2000)
References
- Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Virgin (1371787)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- Howse, Christopher (14 October 2006). "On the altar of function and beauty". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "St Mary The Virgin, Wellingborough". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "St Mary". See of Richborough. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "Our parishes". Forward in Faith Peterborough. Forward in Faith. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "Diocese of Peterborough: Parishes of the Society". The Society. Forward in Faith. 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "Michael Charles Bent". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- Birch, Mark (22 March 2016). "Priestly Man of Action". Taranaki Cathedral. Retrieved 15 March 2017.