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Summary

Grade I listed church with elements from the 12th century, remodelled in late 17th century and again in mid-19th century

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1212695: CHURCH OF ST MARY
• Conservation Area: Bucklebury

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 02415.02.000
  
• Church Heritage Record: 9641
  
• National Monuments Record No.: SU 57 SE 14
  SU 5530 7086
• Old Listed Building Ref (pre 1984) (A): Map No 20 8/1 Church of St. Mary
  Late Norman and Traditional with restored early English Chancel. Late Norman south door. West tower and windows of nave and north aisle perpendicular. Flint and stone with old tile roof. Some old pews in north aisle and box rows with Squire's row in nave. C.17 pulpit with sounding board. Various monuments and hatchments of Winchcombe family (of the Old Manor), late C.17. Monument to Howard Packer and brother by Parsons & Ford of Bath, framed by Corinthian columns, entablature and pediment with coat of arms. Some good headstones and altar tombs in churchyard.

Monument Type(s):

• MINSTER? (11th century - 1086 AD to 1086 AD)
• PARISH CHURCH (12th century to Late 19th century - 1101 AD to 1900 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (TRIBUTE) (Early 20th century - 1919 AD? to 1925 AD?)
• WAR MEMORIAL (TRIBUTE) (Second World War to Mid 20th century - 1945 AD? to 1946 AD?)

Full Description

The Domesday survey <1> listed a church here. Blair classifies Bucklebury as having an Anglo-Saxon minster <12>. The church has an elaborately carved south Norman doorway created between 1150 and 1170 <25>; however, this is all that remains of the 12th century work.

NMR Entry - The earliest features of the church are 11th century, and there is strong evidence from the Domesday Book that the church was a minster at that time. The North aisle, and possibly a North transept, was added in the 12th century, and the whole rebuilt in the 15th century when the West tower was added. The chancel was rebuilt in the 18th century. There are also 19th century alterations.

According to Pevsner <11>, the church is of flint and has a very ornate Late Norman south doorway. The revised Pevsner <15> describes the church as 'externally homely and unpretentious'.

There is a renowned fly on the window of the family pew - it looks real but is painted on glass <8>.

The early 20th restoration of St Mary's is compared favourably with other Victorian cases in the Pang Valley by Sims <21>. The influence of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) meant that Jacobean oak pews and the old sounding board were retained, although the three-decker pulpit was removed <21>.

There is a marble plaque inside the church to men who died in the First World War from 1914-19 <26>, and another war memorial in the form of a wooden panel for those who fell in the Second World War <27>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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