St Mary's Church, Wotton-under-Edge

St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Wotton-under-Edge, on the lower, eastern side of the town between Church Street and the Culverhay. Its arcades are late thirteenth century, its six-stage tower fourteenth, and it holds two medieval brasses that the town's heritage society counts among the finest in the country. It is listed Grade I.

History

St Mary's grew over about two centuries. The arcades inside are late thirteenth century; the west tower rose in two campaigns in the early and later fourteenth century; and the main shell of the church, with its clerestory and crenellated parapets on the nave and the wide aisles, is fifteenth century.

The Berkeleys

Wotton was a manor of the Berkeleys of Berkeley Castle, about 6 miles north-west in the Vale. On a table tomb at the east end of the north aisle are the brasses of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, who died in 1417, and his wife, who died in 1392. Wotton's heritage society calls them among the finest in the country.

Repairs and the organ

The south porch was rebuilt in 1658, and the sundial over it is dated 1799; the heritage society links it to the Biddle family, kin of John Biddle, whom the society calls the father of Unitarianism. The chancel was rebuilt in 1848, and the wrought-iron pulpit and reading desks are by Waller, of about 1885. The vicar William Tattershall, who served from 1778 to 1829, bought the organ in 1800 for £200; the heritage society says it was first given by George I to St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and that Handel may have played it, a tradition we cannot confirm.

What to see

• The tower: six stages, crenellated, the landmark of the lower town.
• The arcades: round pillars on the north side and alternate round and octagonal ones on the south, partly reconstructed, all with carved foliage capitals.
• The Berkeley brasses on the table tomb at the east end of the north aisle.
• The organ, with its story of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
• The memorials to the Tattershall family, among them the long-serving vicar.
• The south porch of 1658 and its sundial of 1799.
• Outside on the Culverhay, the Calvary war memorial put up by the vicar Frederick Greenham, who served from 1907 to 1923.

Visiting

St Mary's is open every day from about 9am, until about 6pm in summer and 3pm in winter, the parish says, and entry is free. A Church Near You lists an accessible toilet and baby changing at the back of the church, a hearing loop, large-print books and guidebooks, and calls the church dog friendly. The tower has a ring of eight bells. Services are at 10am on Sundays and 9.30am on Wednesdays, the parish says.

Getting there

The church is on Church Street in the lower town. There is no church car park, but Stroud District Council has car parks at Potters Pond, a few steps away, and The Chipping; it listed no charge for them when we checked. Free public toilets are on Ropewalk.

On foot, Wotton, the Tyndale Monument and Coombe Hill starts on Gloucester Street, about 450m away, and Wotton Hill and the Tyndale Monument starts on Old London Road above the town. The Cotswold Way comes down from Wotton Hill into the town.

Nearby

Beside the church on Potters Pond is the Ancient Ram Inn, and up Church Street are the Hugh Perry Almshouses. Above the town, Jubilee Clump crowns Wotton Hill, and the Tyndale Monument stands on Nibley Knoll. East of the town, St Nicholas at Ozleworth has a rare six-sided tower. For food, the Royal Oak is on Haw Street.