Enjoy the latest Stories from St. Mary’s – telling the tale of why our parish church is no ordinary village church…

The early years of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901) found the parish somewhat neglected.

The vicar was George Bell, who eventually served from 1789 to 1852 and at the age of 90 was “not quite broken down but nearly so”.

James Hodgson replaced Bell and set about revitalising both the community and the church itself, though as a committed High Churchman he was a source of some controversy.

In 1864 G. E. Street was commissioned as architect to oversee the restoration of the building. This included repairing roofs, removing plaster from the walls, restoration of the aisles and tiling of the floor. The seating was rearranged and a west gallery removed. In 1870 gas replaced the old oil lamps and apart from electric light and a new vestry, the church is basically that left by Street and Hodgson.

Given refurbishment of the church had become necessary by the Victorian age, Bloxham was fortunate to have its church restored by Street as he was seen to have, “a true artist’s respect for the precious remains of the art of our forefathers”” Illustrated London News (9 June 1866).

This series is brought to you by the BOF Heritage Group. Throughout its history, St. Mary’s Church, Bloxham, has adapted to the needs of the time. The Building Our Future (BOF) project is dedicated to enhancing our magnificent church with up-to-date facilities, to make it more welcoming and more practical for all – whilst maintaining the beauty of this historic building. St. Mary’s is now open daily allowing you to explore our parish church for yourself.

Please contact us via bofcomms@gmail.com to join the mailing list for future updates or to share your own Stories from St. Mary’s – or find out more about the project at  www.stmarysbloxham.org.uk/buildingourfuture.