St Mary the Virgin, Whickham
St Mary the Virgin, Whickham
St Mary’s is a Grade I parish church on Church Chare, Whickham, Tyne and Wear, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Location
- Whickham, Tyne & Wear
- Country
- England
- County
- Tyne & Wear
- City / town
- Whickham
- Address
- Church Chare, Whickham, Tyne & Wear, NE16 4SH
- Postcode
- NE16 4SH
- Built
- 12th-century nave; 13th-century aisles; 14th-century porch and tower; restored 1819 and 1860–62
- Architect
- John Dobson (1819 restoration); Anthony Salvin (1860–62 restoration and second north aisle)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Mary
- Diocese
- Durham
- Parish
- Whickham
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Norman nave with later medieval aisles and tower
- Materials
- Coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings; graduated Lakeland slate roofs; stone slate porch roof
- Grid reference
- NZ 209 613
- Opening hours
- Open on Wednesday 9.30am to noon. Keyholder in Parish Office Tuesday to Friday 9am to noon.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas
Overview
Historic England records a twelfth-century nave, thirteenth-century aisles, and a fourteenth-century porch and tower, with a porch sundial dated 1651. John Dobson restored the church in 1819. Anthony Salvin restored it in 1860–62 and added a second north aisle, vestry, organ chamber and new roof. The fabric is coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings and a plinth; roofs are graduated Lakeland slate with stone gable copings, and stone slate over the porch.
The west tower has a north stair turret, plate-traceried west window, paired shouldered bell openings and a battlemented parapet. The interior has four-bay round-arched nave arcades with simple leaf capitals (guttae on the original south arcade) and a rebuilt round chancel arch on half-columns with scalloped capitals.