St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bromfield

St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bromfield
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bromfield, from the northwest
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bromfield Location in Shropshire
Coordinates: 52°23′12″N 2°45′45″W / 52.3868°N 2.7625°W / 52.3868; -2.7625
OS grid reference	SO 482 768
Location	Bromfield, Shropshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary, Bromfield
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	12 November 1952
Architect(s)	C. Hodgson Fowler (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tiled roofs
Administration
Parish	Bromfield
Deanery	Ludlow
Archdeaconry	Ludlow
Diocese	Hereford
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Ven C. H. Williams

St Mary the Virgin's Church is a former priory church located in the village of Bromfield, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ludlow, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of 16 other parishes to form the Ludlow Team Ministry. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

The church was built as a parish church before the Norman conquest and was described as being "a wealthy minster of royal foundation".Bromfield Priory was also in existence before the Norman conquest; it was served by twelve canons, and has a relatively detailed description in the Domesday Book. Monks were gradually introduced to the priory, and when Henry II granted it a charter as a Benedictine priory in 1155, both canons and monks were part of the establishment. Following that, the priory became subject to Gloucester Abbey, its priors being appointed by the Abbot of Gloucester. The priory took over part of the existing parish church. This had been rebuilt in the 12th century with a cruciform plan, possibly with a central tower at the crossing. At some time the tower and the north transept disappeared, possibly following the fall of the tower. The present northwest tower was built during the 13th century. It is thought that the priory used the crossing (which later became the chancel) and the south transept for its services, while the lay congregation used the western part of the church. The vicar of the church was appointed by the prior.