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Church of St Mary the Virgin, Wellingborough

Coordinates: 52°18′11″N 0°40′47″W / 52.3031°N 0.6796°W / 52.3031; -0.6796
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Church of St Mary the Virgin
Interior of St Mary's Church
Map
LocationKnox Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 1PX
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic
History
StatusActive
DedicationSt Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade I listed
Architect(s)Sir Ninian Comper
Architectural typePerpendicular Gothic
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Peterborough
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Northampton
DeaneryWellingborough
ParishSt Mary the Virgin Wellingborough
Clergy
Bishop(s)The Rt Revd Luke Irvine-Capel SSC (AEO)
Vicar(s)Fr Robert Farmer SSC

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]

History

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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

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Baptistry

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 a resolution to reject the ordination of women, it receives alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Richborough.[4] It is also affiliated with Forward in Faith and The Society.[5][6]

Notable clergy

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  • 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

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  • 1905-1928: Fr Thomas Watts
  • 1929-1946: Fr Conrad Radford
  • 1947-1952: Fr Rowland Taylor
  • 1952–1966: Fr Raymond Brown
  • 1967–1988: Fr Thomas Finch SSC
  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Virgin (1371787)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  2. ^ Howse, Christopher (14 October 2006). "On the altar of function and beauty". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b "St Mary The Virgin, Wellingborough". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. ^ "St Mary". See of Richborough. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Our parishes". Forward in Faith Peterborough. Forward in Faith. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Diocese of Peterborough: Parishes of the Society". The Society. Forward in Faith. 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Michael Charles Bent". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  8. ^ Birch, Mark (22 March 2016). "Priestly Man of Action". Taranaki Cathedral. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
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52°18′11″N 0°40′47″W / 52.3031°N 0.6796°W / 52.3031; -0.6796