St Mary's Church, Southampton

Saint Mary's Church [1]
Saint Mary's Southampton
Saint Mary's Church from the southeast, showing the older tower and spire with the rebuilt body of the church
Saint Mary's Church [1] is located in Southampton
Saint Mary's Church [1]
Saint Mary's Church [1]
Shown within Southampton
50°54′10″N 1°23′42″W / 50.90287°N 1.39506°W / 50.90287; -1.39506
LocationSouthampton, Hampshire, England
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipCharismatic evangelical Anglican
Websitesaintmarys.church
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 634
DedicationMary, Mother of Jesus
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II listed
Designated14 July 1953[2]
Architect(s)G. E. Street
StyleGothic Revival
Years built1878–1954
Specifications
Spire height200 feet (61 m)
MaterialsExterior: Purbeck stone
Interior: Bath stone
Bells10
Tenor bell weight21 long cwt 2 qr 8 lbs (2,416  lb or 1,096 kg)
Administration
ProvinceProvince of Canterbury
DioceseDiocese of Winchester
ArchdeaconryBournemouth
DeanerySouthampton
ParishSaint Mary Southampton
Clergy
Vicar(s)Jon Finch[3]

Saint Mary's Church, is the civic church for the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England. Originally founded in circa 634,[4] St Mary's has been the mother church of Southampton since its inception. The present building, now the sixth incarnation of a church on this site, dates mostly to a rebuilding from 1954 to 1956, following its destruction in the Southampton Blitz, except for the notable Grade II listed tower and spire, which date from 1912 to 1914.[5]

Being the mother church of the city, it is both the tallest and the largest church in Southampton, making it a local landmark, after which another landmark, St Mary's Stadium, is named.[4] The church is notable for its tall tower and spire, which survived the Blitz, stained glass windows, post-war architecture and fine Willis organ, which is amongst the largest of any church on the South Coast.[6] The church is also notable for the sound of its bells, which inspired the song "The Bells of St. Mary's", originally recorded in 1919 by Frances Alda and later sung by Bing Crosby in a film of the same name.[7]

  1. ^ "Saint Mary's Church Website".
  2. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1302110)". National Heritage List for England.
  3. ^ "Our Team -- Saint Mary's Church".
  4. ^ a b Sandell, Elsie, M. (2011). "St Mary's through the ages" (PDF). Southampton City Parish. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Historic England. "Parish Church of St Mary with Holy Trinity (Grade II*) (1302110)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  6. ^ Sumner, W. L. (1956). "The Organ in St. Mary's Church, Southampton" (PDF). The Organ. 37 (146): 79–85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Frances Alda (vocalist : soprano vocal)". Discography of American Historical recordings. Retrieved 12 March 2019.