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St. Mary's Church
Our Church is one of the best known buildings of Clifton Village.
History The first evidence of the presence of a Church on the
site comes from the 1086 Doomsday Book, in which the priest and the
Church are mentioned. The early building was almost certainly of stone
or wood and none of it remains, although the existing Church may cover
its foundations. The oldest part of the present building consists of
the two north east arches and pillars of the Nave. These are of the
Transitional period, i.e. between true Norman and early English. These
probably date from 1175-1200. At a later period the west end of the
nave was extended by an extra arch, to give us the basic structure of
the current Church building. The height of the belfry was raised in
1339, perhaps an unwise move as this has led to structural stresses
which have caused problems ever since! At the time of the Black Death,
in architectural terms during the Decorated period, a chapel was established
at the east end of the south aisle. The current clergy vestry was the
sacristy for the chapel. In 1478, the collegiate chapel of the Holy
Trinity was established in the north transept, built of south Derbyshire
millstone grit. In about 1500 Robert Yole, then Rector, rebuilt the
chancel on a much larger scale. The most recent addition, the Pace room,
was named in honour of George Pace, the first architect in the post.1965
restoration. Many extra details about the Church, and in particular
the varied and interesting memorials to its long history and especially
its association with the Clifton family can be found in the Introduction
and Tour of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Clifton, available
from the Church.
The Restoration In the 1960s, despite having been in constant
use as a place of worship since the first millennium, the Church was
in a very poor state. In the time when Wilfred Wilkinson was Rector,
a major programme of restoration and refurbishment was undertaken.
The Present Our Church is now a beautifully restored focus
of Christian worship.
For further details please contact Clare Ashton,
Churchwarden – 9213937
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