St Mary's Church, Thatcham
The St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church at Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
| St Mary's Church | |
|---|---|
 A view across the graveyard | |
| Location | Church Gate Thatcham Berkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 1140 |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II*[1] |
| Designated | 6 April 1967 |
| Style | Norman |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Oxford |
| Archdeaconry | Berkshire |
| Parish | Thatcham |
It has been claimed that the church was founded in the 7th century by St Birinus, and parts of the church date from the 12th century.[2]
Tower and bells
The tower contains a peal of 10 change ringing bells. The oldest bells (5th–9th) date from 1624 and were cast by Ellis I Knight of Reading. The newest bells (1 and 2) date from 1969 and were cast by John Taylor & Co. The tenor bell (cast in 1825) weighs 13-0-23 (671 kg) and rings out the note 'F'. The bell ringers practise on a Tuesday night from 7:30 pm till 9:15 pm. They also ring on a Sunday from 9:15 am till 10 am.
Treble: 3cwt, John Taylor 1969 in A
2nd: 3cwt, John Taylor 1969 in G
3rd: 4cwt, John Taylor 1929 in F
4th: 4cwt, John Taylor 1929 in E
5th: 5cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in D
6th: 6cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in C
7th: 6cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in Bb
8th: 7cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in A
9th: 10cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in G
Tenor: 13cwt, Thomas II Mears 1825 in F
References
- Historic England. "Church of St Mary (Grade II*) (1155799)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "RBH: History of St. Mary's Church, Thatcham, Berkshire". www.berkshirehistory.com.
External links
