Our Church
The story of St Mary’s, the people who serve our parish, and how to become part of it.
Our history
St Mary’s was built to serve a new suburb of Swindon in the years after the war, when building materials were still restricted. It was one of three churches planned for the area to the same design, together with Wroughton and Wootton Bassett, and all three were built by R. J. Beswick & Son of Swindon.
The churches were designed so that, as the parishes grew, each could one day become a church hall beside a larger new church. That is why St Mary’s has its high sanctuary, reached by a flight of steps: it was planned so it could later serve as a stage.
The church was built to seat 300 people at a cost of about £9,330, with the linked presbytery and sacristy adding a further £5,300. Since then, Wootton Bassett has built a new church and Wroughton’s has been enlarged, so St Mary’s is now the only one of the three still largely in its original form.
The building
The church has a reinforced concrete frame with artificial stone facing, a concrete tile roof and round windows in the east and west gables. The original floors, thermoplastic tiles in the nave and hardwood blocks in the sanctuary, are now carpeted. The east window shows Our Lady trampling the serpent.
Photos
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