St. Mary’s Church in Stow is one of the oldest parish churches in England. Founded in the seventh century in what had been the Roman town of Sidnacester, St. Mary’s was originally part of the diocese of Lindsey. It is possible that the church served as a cathedral for this diocese at this time, but lack of surviving documentation means this is unclear. (...)
St. Mary’s Church in Stow is one of the oldest parish churches in England. Founded in the seventh century in what had been the Roman town of Sidnacester, St. Mary’s was originally part of the diocese of Lindsey. It is possible that the church served as a cathedral for this diocese at this time, but lack of surviving documentation means this is unclear. In the tenth century it did become the mother church, or minster, of the diocese of Lincolnshire until Lincoln cathedral was constructed in the eleventh century.
The architecture of St. Mary’s Church is a visual history of the styles used in the construction of parish churches over a 500-year period, from pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon architecture to Gothic. The church’s cruciform plan and portions of the crossing and south transept were constructed around 975 during the time of Bishop Aelfnoth. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in the mid-eleventh and twelfth centuries, respectively. The central tower, supported by Gothic arches, was reconstructed in the early fifteenth century, though the Saxon arches, the tallest in Britain, were kept and enclosed by the later construction. Finally, the chancel and nave were restored the mid-nineteenth century by John Loughborough Pearson, a famous Victorian architect. The church is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, indicating that it is of national importance.
St. Mary’s has long suffered from water ingress because of faulty gutters and a leaky lead roof. The building had been insufficiently maintained for years because of limited access to the roof and a lack of funds. Additionally, a pigeon infestation caused large quantities of guano to clog drains and pose heath hazards to conservation volunteers.
