St Mary's Church, Stamford

St Mary's Church, Stamford
St Mary's Church, view from St Mary's Hill.
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo Catholic
Website	www.stamford-stmary.co.uk
History
Dedication	St Mary
Administration
Parish	Stamford, Lincolnshire
Deanery	Stamford
Archdeaconry	Lincoln
Diocese	Lincoln
Province	York
Clergy
Priest(s)	Fr Michael Ruff
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Position Vacant

St Mary's Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England, located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, lending its name to St Mary's Hill (part of the Old Great North Road) on which it stands, and which runs down to the river crossing opposite The George Hotel.

History

The church was built by the twelfth century, the tower in the thirteenth century and the spire in the fourteenth century. The spire was saved from collapse in 1741 by William Stukeley under instruction from Thomas Eayre.^[1] The spire was strengthened in 1913 using iron strapping.

One of the glories of St Mary's is the Corpus Christi Chapel (North Chapel). It is the earliest part of the church and has connections with an educational foundation that later became Stamford School. The ceiling is one of the very few decorated medieval wagon vaults to survive.

The architect J. D. Sedding added a vestry in 1890, the screens and a new altar as well as new decoration to the ceilings of the chancel and sanctuary. In 1921, a rood was added atop the chancel screen in memory of those men of the parish who had lost their lives in World War One. A commemorative plaque recording this event and the names of the men who died is placed south of the pulpit.

In 1948, a screen was fitted to the Tower Arch in memory of all those who had served in World War Two.

Organ

The church has an organ dating from 1829 by Gray. Originally in a gallery at the west end, it was moved in 1852 to the end of the south aisle, site of the former Chapel of St Nicholas. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. A fully electronic action was added in 1964 during a major overhaul. In most "Oxford Movement" churches, the organ speaks across the chancel. This was the case at St Mary's until 1964 when part was turned through 90 degrees so that the organ now speaks into the nave as well as across the chancel.

List of organists

• 1898 - 1905: (John) Clare Billing^[2] (formerly organist of St. John's College, Lancashire)
• 1905-07: ?
• 1907 - ca. 1912: (John) Clare Billing^[3] (also organist of St Martin's Church, Stamford, ???? - 1912^[4] - 1921^[5])
• ca. 1921: H. S. Staveley^[6]

References

1. ^ Colvin, H. M. (2008) A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840. New Haven: Yale University Press ISBN 0-300-12508-9; p. 339.
2. ^ Thornsby, Frederick W., ed. (1912) Dictionary of Organs and Organists. Bournemouth: Logan
3. ^ Thornsby (1912)
4. ^ Thornsby (1912)
5. ^ Thornsby, Frederick W., ed. (1921) Dictionary of Organs and Organists; 2nd ed. London: G. A. Mate
6. ^ Thornsby (1921)

Coordinates: 52°39′04″N 00°28′41″W / 52.65111°N 0.47806°W / 52.65111; -0.47806