St Mary, Deerhurst
St Mary, Deerhurst
St Mary’s Priory Church at Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, is a Grade I Anglo-Saxon parish church of the eighth century and later, former Benedictine priory church, in the Diocese of Gloucester.
- Location
- Deerhurst, Gloucestershire
- Country
- England
- County
- Gloucestershire
- City / town
- Deerhurst
- Address
- Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, GL19 4BX
- Postcode
- GL19 4BX
- Built
- C8 nave and chancel; C10 restoration; aisles c.1200; restored 1861–63
- Architect
- William Slater (1861–63 restoration)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Mary
- Diocese
- Gloucester
- Parish
- Deerhurst with Apperley
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Anglo-Saxon, with Early English arcades and later Gothic windows
- Materials
- Rubble masonry
- Grid reference
- SO 870 299
- Opening hours
- The church is open from 9am to 6pm April to September and from 10am to 4pm October to March.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Ramp or level access available on request
- Website
- http://sctm.church/
Overview
Historic England and the architectural literature describe an Anglo-Saxon monument of the first order. The tall, narrow nave and chancel walls are eighth-century; a west porch grew into a multi-storey tower, with herringbone masonry and triangular-headed openings. A monastery is recorded by 804. After Viking damage the church was restored by about 970. Edward the Confessor granted the house to Saint-Denis, making it an alien priory; after seizures in the Hundred Years War it passed to Tewkesbury Abbey in 1467 and was surrendered in 1540. Around 1200 Early English arcades opened north and south aisles. William Slater directed restoration in 1861–63. Surviving sculpture includes animal-head label-stops, an eighth-century Virgin and Child, a tenth-century angel, and a ninth-century spiral-carved font. Odda's Chapel stands nearby. Listed Grade I on 4 July 1960 (NHLE 1151998). The monastic site is a scheduled monument.