We have 2 Images Above Photograph(s)
Copyright of Alf Beard

St Mary the Virgin's Church,
off Vicarage Lane,
Childs Wickham, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

This Church has (or had) a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in the 12th century, and we understand it is still open.

Kelly's Directory of 1923 describes St Mary's as "a building of stone, consisting of chancel, nave, north transept and an embattled western tower, with pinnacles and a spire, containing 6 bells". There was formerly a south transept. The old nave and transept are supposed to have been built in the 12th century, and the tower and spire in the 14th century. It was rebuilt in 1870 under the direction of Mr. Hunt, architect of Evesham, and a new chancel was erected by the late W. Atkinson esq. in 1874, under the direction of the same architect.

Apparently in the graveyard there is (or was, in 1923) a gravestone recording the death of a woman aged 133.

In the centre of the village is the base and shaft of an ancient stone market cross, now surmounted by an urn.

Childs Wickham (or Childswickham) in 1923 included the hamlet of Murcott; and in 1931, the whole parish was transferred from Gloucestershire to Worcestershire, though it remains in Gloucester Diocese. St Mary's Church is a Grade II Listed Building, and it will be found the British Listed Buildings website listed with Worcestershire. Points of interest they mention are a restored doorway of c.1130-40 between the nave and tower, and the bellcote at the east end of the roof of the nave - for the sanctus bell, perhaps? Unfortunately, their account makes no mention of a south transept, so perhaps this was a casualty of the restoration.

There may be more information available by by selecting one or more of the accompanying images on the right.

Denomination

Now or formerly Church of England.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference SP0750938401. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• St Mary the Virgin's Church, Childs Wickham shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Childs Wickham shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Childs Wickham, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.