St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston, is the redundant
Church of England parish church
of the deserted medieval village
of Fleet Marston
, Buckinghamshire
, England. English Heritage
has designated it a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands in a field to the northeast of the A41 road
, some 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Aylesbury
. John Wesley
preached his first sermon
in the church soon after he was ordained
deacon in September 1725.
in 1868 by George Gilbert Scott
. The church was declared redundant on 20 January 1972 and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 24 October 1973.
rubble
stone and has tiled roofs. The church stands on a plinth
and has diagonal buttress
es. Its plan consists of a nave
with a north porch, and a chancel
. At the west end of the gable
is a bellcote. In the north wall of the nave, in addition to the porch, is a large single-light window, and a restored 15th-century two-light window. The south wall contains a four-light window. In the north and east walls of the chancel are single-light windows. In the south wall is a similar window, a two-light window, and a doorway.
Inside the church is a chancel arch dating from the early 14th century. It is carried on semi-octagonal piers
whose capitals
are decorated with ball flower
motifs. The roof dates from the 15th century. In a window-sill on the south of the chancel is a piscina
. The font
consists of a circular bowl on a plain stem, and possibly dates from the 13th century. In the church are memorial tablets dating from the late 18th and the 19th centuries.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Church of England parish church
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 the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of the deserted medieval village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
of Fleet Marston
Fleet Marston
Fleet Marston is a civil parish and deserted medieval village in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is west of Aylesbury, just off the main A41 to Waddesdon....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has designated it a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands in a field to the northeast of the A41 road
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
, some 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
. John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
preached his first sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
in the church soon after he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
deacon in September 1725.
History
The church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, and probably stands on the site of an earlier church. Alterations were made in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1868 by George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. The church was declared redundant on 20 January 1972 and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 24 October 1973.
Architecture
St Mary's is built of coursedCourse (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
stone and has tiled roofs. The church stands on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
and has diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a north porch, and a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. At the west end of the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a bellcote. In the north wall of the nave, in addition to the porch, is a large single-light window, and a restored 15th-century two-light window. The south wall contains a four-light window. In the north and east walls of the chancel are single-light windows. In the south wall is a similar window, a two-light window, and a doorway.
Inside the church is a chancel arch dating from the early 14th century. It is carried on semi-octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
whose capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
are decorated with ball flower
Ball flower
The ball-flower is an architectural ornament in the form of a ball inserted in the cup of a flower, which came into use in the latter part of the 13th, and was in great vogue in the early part of the 14th century. It is generally placed in rows at equal distances in the hollow of a moulding,...
motifs. The roof dates from the 15th century. In a window-sill on the south of the chancel is a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
consists of a circular bowl on a plain stem, and possibly dates from the 13th century. In the church are memorial tablets dating from the late 18th and the 19th centuries.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England