St Mary's, Luton
| St Mary's church | |
|---|---|
| St Mary's church, Luton | |
 |
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| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church/ Open Evangelical |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Luton |
| Archdeaconry | Bedford |
| Diocese | St Albans |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev. Mike Jones |
| Curate(s) | Rev. Andy Gardner |
St Mary's, Luton, is an Anglican Church in the centre of the town of Luton, England. The church has a rich and long history, being over 850 years old and has been rebuilt and refurbished constantly over the centuries. The Church is one of the largest in Bedfordshire and considered a fine example of medieval architecture. The Church is part of the St Albans Diocese.
The site of St Mary's has been the centre of worship for people in the area for over 1,000 years, and a church was built in about 930 AD by King Athelstan as an act of thanksgiving for victory over the Danes. The land here was owned by the king in Saxon and early Norman times and the church was very richly endowed.
The current church was built by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester in 1121 and consecrated in 1137. The original structure of the church was a cruciform without aisles, but with the increases in population, the north and south aisles were added within 40 years of each other around the start of the 13th century.
This was a time of great extension to the church, with a tower being built, transepts being extended, with twin arches opening into the new chapels on their east side. A vaulted sacristy with an upper room was built north of the chancel and a new font was given a unique canopy of richly carved stone in an octaganol shape.
A lot of restoration and rebuilding work was carried out in this time, with Someries chapel being extended, the sacristy being re-built further east and the west tower made taller and having most of the windows renewed. All this work was carried out with the help of Lord John Wenlock, whose family had been connected with the church since 1389. In 1461 the chapel was renamed the Wenlock Chapel, and William Wenlock (father of John) is one of three people interred there.
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Wikipedia