St. Mary's Church, Nottingham
| St Mary's Church | |
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St Mary's Church, Nottingham and the County War Memorial, Nottingham
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 St Mary's Church
Location within Nottinghamshire
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| Coordinates: 52°57′4″N 1°8′34″W / 52.95111°N 1.14278°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Book of Common Prayer / Broad Church |
| Website | www.nottinghamchurches.org www.stmarysnottingham.org |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Southwell and Nottingham |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Christopher Harrison |
| Curate(s) | The Revd Stephen Morris |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | John Anthony Keys |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Nottingham and the largest mediaeval building in the city.
The church is Grade I listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as a building of outstanding architectural or historic interest. It is one of only five Grade I listed buildings in the City of Nottingham.
It is situated on High Pavement at the heart of the historic Lace Market district and is also known as St Mary's in the Lace Market. It is a member of the Greater Churches Group, and part of the parish of All Saints', St Mary's and St Peter's, Nottingham.
The church is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is believed to go back deep into Saxon times. The main body of the present building (at least the third on the site) dates from the end of the reign of Edward III (1377) to that of Henry VII (1485–1509). The nave was finished before 1475 and it is notable for its uniformity of gothic perpendicular style. It is likely that the south aisle wall was the first part of the building to be constructed in the early 1380s, with the remainder of the nave and transepts being from the early 15th century. The tower was completed in the reign of Henry VIII.
The church was owned by Lenton Priory from 1108 to 1538 and the monks took the living of the church as Rector, and appointed a Vicar to perform the daily offices.
In 1513, a school was founded in the church by Dame Agnes Mellers as The Free School of the Town of Nottingham. This is now Nottingham High School. In the Foundation Deed, Mellers provided that a Commemoration Service should be held in the church "on the Feast of The Translation of St Richard of Chichester". With the exception of the Goose Fair, it is the most ancient ceremonial event still perpetuated in the City of Nottingham,
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Wikipedia