St Mary Collegiate Church, Warwick
St Mary Collegiate Church, Warwick
The Collegiate Church of St Mary is a Grade I parish church on Old Square, Warwick, in the Diocese of Coventry. It is a member of the Major Churches Network and one of the largest parish churches in Britain.
- Location
- Warwick, Warwickshire
- Country
- England
- County
- Warwickshire
- City / town
- Warwick
- Address
- Old Square, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 4RA
- Postcode
- CV34 4RA
- Built
- Founded 1123; Beauchamp Chapel 1442-63; nave and tower rebuilt 1697-1704
- Architect
- Sir William Wilson (nave, transepts and tower, 1697-1704)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Mary
- Diocese
- Coventry
- Parish
- Warwick St Mary
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Norman crypt; Perpendicular Beauchamp Chapel; Gothic-Renaissance rebuild
- Grid reference
- SP 282 650
- Opening hours
- Sorry, there are no regular opening times for this church.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas
Overview
Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, founded the church and its college of dean and canons in 1123. The only surviving Norman work is the crypt. The late fourteenth-century chancel escaped the Great Fire of Warwick (the listing gives 1694; the fire is usually dated 1693). Nave, transepts and tower were rebuilt in 1697-1704 by Sir William Wilson, the design supervised and perhaps modified by Sir Christopher Wren. Historic England notes that the rebuild keeps a Gothic spirit while mouldings are Renaissance in character.
The Beauchamp Chapel, south of the chancel, is a Perpendicular Lady Chapel built in 1442-63 for the bronze effigy of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (died 1439). The listing also records fan vaulting, a Last Judgement wall painting, fifteenth-century stained glass, Dudley family tombs, and an eighteenth-century organ case by Swarbrick. The tower is a landmark from Northgate Street and Church Street.