Collegiate Church Of St Mary, Warwick
About Collegiate Church Of St Mary, Warwick
The Collegiate Church of St Mary is a Church of England parish church in the town of Warwick, England. It lies in the centre of the town just east of the market place.
Collegiate Church Of St Mary, Warwick Description
Our church enshrines much of the history of England, and has great architectural beauty and significance. It is a home of prayer and worship, with a strong musical tradition.
St Mary’s was founded on its present site in 1123 by Roger de Newburgh, the Earl of Warwick. The Crypt still remains from the original Norman building, and houses a rare example of a medieval ducking stool. The Chancel, Vestry and Chapter House were rebuilt in the Fourteenth Century by Thomas Beauchamp, and this section of the building represents one of the highest peaks of English Gothic architecture. The tomb of Thomas Beauchamp stands in front of the high altar; the tiny figures around its base give a fine depiction of Fourteenth Century English fashion. Fulke Greville's enigmatic monument takes up most of the Chapter House.
The glorious Beauchamp Chapel was built in the Fifteenth Century to house the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, the Earl of Warwick and one of the richest and most powerful people in the history of our country. It is a magnificent example of the European ecclesiastical architecture of its time, and ranks as one of this country’s greatest treasures. The Chapel also houses the tombs of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, his brother Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and Robert’s son, the “Noble Impe”.
The Nave and Tower were destroyed in the great fire of Warwick in 1694, and rebuilt by 1704 by the brothers Francis and William Smith, builder architects of Warwick.
The chapel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) occupies the North Transept.
Reviews
An exciting concert at St Mary’s on Saturday at 7.30pm: Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’, performed by Coventry Philharmonic Choir, and our own Mark Swinton as the orchestra.
The second of St Mary’s new fortnightly recitals takes place this week on Friday! Join us at 1.15pm for a programme of Preludes and Fugues from our own Assistant Director of Music, Mark Swinton.
Choral services at St Mary’s, Warwick this week - all are welcome!
WEDNESDAY 19th SEPTEMBER Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Sarah MacDonald Responses... Cherubini Service - Ian Wicks How blest are they - Oliver
FRIDAY 21st SEPTEMBER - St Matthew Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Frikki Walker Responses Fauxbourdon Service - Andrew Fletcher O praise God in his holiness - Andrew Millington
SUNDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER Sung Eucharist - 10.30am Sumsion in F Beati quorum via - Stanford
Choral Evensong - 6.30pm Leighton Responses Edington Service - Grayston Ives Insanae et vanae curae - Haydn
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All are welcome to St Mary’s choral services this week:
WEDNESDAY 12th SEPTEMBER Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Responses - Sarah MacDonald... Canticles on Plainsong Tones - Simon Johnson O virtus sapientiae - von Bingen
FRIDAY 14th SEPTEMBER - Holy Cross Day Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Responses - Harris Short Service - Stephen Cleobury Christus factus est - Anerio
SUNDAY 16th SEPTEMBER Sung Eucharist - 10.30am Ireland in C So God loved the world - Gibbons
Choral Evensong - 6.30pm Responses - Leighton Francis Jackson in G Expectans expectavi - Wood
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Another lovely wedding at St Mary’s, with beautiful flowers from our Flower Guild. Interested in being involved? Come in and see us!
NEW RECITAL SERIES!
St Mary’s is delighted to be hosting recitals on the first and third Fridays of the month during term time. The first is today at 1.15pm - songs of Flanders and Swann.
Do join us!
St Mary’s robed choirs are back on duty and gearing up for our Patronal Festival on Sunday - do join us if you can!
FRIDAY 7th SEPTEMBER Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Rose responses... Wood in G Sicut cervus - Palestrina
SUNDAY 9th SEPTEMBER Sung Eucharist - 10.30am Messe à deux chœurs et deux orgues - Widor Ave maris stella - Grieg
Choral Evensong - 6.30pm Rose responses Brewer in D And when the builders - Richard Shephard Gaudeamus omnes (Beauchamp Chapel chant) - plainsong
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Excellent news for one of our own! Congratulations and good luck to Alycia Timmis as she starts as Chaplain to Warwick School.
St Mary’s looks forward to welcoming back the Gentlemen of the Choir for our Sunday services. Do join us!
Choral Matins - 11.00am Responses on plainsong tones Te Deum laudamus II - Liszt... Jubilate - Plainsong Hear the voice and prayer - Tallis
Sung Eucharist - 6.30pm Mass for Three Voices - Byrd Ave verum corpus - Hendrie
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Great to see former Choristers Izzy and Sarah with the Millennium Youth Choir at Portsmouth Cathedral.
And that’s that! The end of a very successful and enjoyable week at Lincoln Cathedral for the Boys and Men. Happy Bank Holiday!
Our boys and men are on their way to Lincoln Cathedral, where they are singing this week’s services.
MONDAY 20th AUGUST Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Clucas responses... Wood in E flat (No.2) Insanae et vanae curae - Haydn
TUESDAY 21st AUGUST Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Clucas responses Watson in E Behold, the tabernacle - Harris
WEDNESDAY 22nd AUGUST Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Clucas responses Collegium Regale - Howells Evening Hymn - Balfour Gardiner
FRIDAY 24th AUGUST (St Bartholomew) Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Sanctus Bartholomaeus - Handl Clucas responses Jackson in G Justorum animae - Stanford
SATURDAY 25th AUGUST Choral Evensong - 5.30pm Rose responses Fourth Service - Batten O pray for the peace of Jerusalem - Howells
SUNDAY 26th AUGUST Sung Eucharist - 9.30am Missa Brevis - Ives Sicut cervus - Palestrina
Choral Mattins - 11.15am Rose responses Te Deum ‘Collegium Regale’ - Howells Jubilate in C - Britten A New Song - MacMillan
Choral Evensong - 3.45pm Rose responses Second Service - Leighton Let all the world - Vaughan Williams
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We look forward to welcoming the Wheatsheaf Consort to sing our Sunday services this weekend. Do join us!
SUNDAY 12th AUGUST Sung Eucharist - 10.30am Communion Service in B flat - Stanford... O sacrum convivium - Ben Ponniah
Choral Evensong - 6.30pm Walsh responses Wood in E flat (No.2) O quam gloriosum - Victoria
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How many animals can you find in St Mary’s? #AnimalsInChurchesHour #AnimalsInChurches
Did you know that St Mary’s has one of the few remaining 'Doom' paintings in the UK? Come in and see it! Warwick Visitor Centre Warwick, Warwickshire (Thanks to Martin Carpenter for the photo!)
‘One who sought, and she was found.’
We look forward to the St Mary’s Scholars singing our Sunday services this weekend. All are welcome!
SUNDAY 22nd JULY Sung Eucharist - 10.30am Communion Service in F - Harris... Come, my way - Graves
Choral Evensong - 6.30pm Haynes responses The Dorian Service - Tallis Dum transisset Sabbatum - Johnson
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Truly excellent singing from our girls and men at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. A fantastic Evensong and a wonderful way to finish the choral year. Not a bad final gig for our leavers, either...
loved that magic place, i spent some hours around the building and the graveyard, a meditative place
Wow 😮
Just amazing
A must visit if you are in Warwick
Wonderful history a historians dream & a witches ducking stool in the crypt what more can you ask for
Free entry tho please leave a donation out of respect for the wonderful work that’s done here.
Sorry I couldn’t give it more than 5 stars
Just beautiful
What an incredible, beautiful building. So many things to see and take in. We were also given some amazing insights and information from Sheila, a volunteer at the church who pointed out so many things we would have missed had we been on our own. Overall it was a wonderful experience to visit your church. Thank you.
We had a lovely evening.. Wonderful music good company plus great food and service.. My friends and I are looking forward to the next event.
This place is steeped in history and well worth the visit! The crypt and Beauchamp Chapel were amazing 👍!
Superb historic building. Lovely to see a packed church for the Children's Crib Carol Service.
Love it well worth a visit 5 stars
I attended the Midnight Eucharist service on Christmas Eve. The atmosphere was so warm and welcoming and the choir sang so beautifully.
Gorgeous church! Had fun with the brass rubbings and were treated to an excellent choral rehearsal while we colored.
Excellent we loved it, helpful staff and great shop
Came to visit the castle but seeing the church from a distance felt i needed to explore .
Very friendly, informative and helpful team on duty , stunning church interior and the music playing really added to the relaxing atmosphere . I lit Candles for both my sets of grandparents who have passed .
Breathtakingly beautiful
An undiscovered gem. Don’t miss the ‘extra chapels’ not visible straight away.
Friendly welcome, brass rubbing, lovely shop
Absolutely gorgeous church with more history than you can shake a stick at. And wonderful welcoming staff,a must visit place :)
A very atmospheric place to be, both inside and out.
A most magnificent church surpassed only by the wonderful people who look after it.
A great, historic Church since Saxon times and final resting place of The Beauchamp who presided over the trial of Joan of Arc. A treasure-house of wonders not to be missed!
A beautiful and very interesting church. We visited when they had a Christmas tree festival at the end of November, the trees were lovely and it gave us the opportunity to have a good look round this lovely place.
On Thursday we attended a Christmas concert, which was excellent as usual.
Welcoming lady on front desk was helpful. I am not the biggest fan of 18th C. churches, but plenty of interest with the norman crypt and chantry chapels with 16th c. Monuments. A shame the church was covered with scaffolding and sheeting but repairs need to be done. It is very difficult to get a good external photo!
loved that magic place, i spent some hours around the building and the graveyard, a meditative place
Wow 😮
Just amazing
A must visit if you are in Warwick
Wonderful history a historians dream & a witches ducking stool in the crypt what more can you ask for
Free entry tho please leave a donation out of respect for the wonderful work that’s done here.
Sorry I couldn’t give it more than 5 stars
Just beautiful
What an incredible, beautiful building. So many things to see and take in. We were also given some amazing insights and information from Sheila, a volunteer at the church who pointed out so many things we would have missed had we been on our own. Overall it was a wonderful experience to visit your church. Thank you.
We had a lovely evening.. Wonderful music good company plus great food and service.. My friends and I are looking forward to the next event.
This place is steeped in history and well worth the visit! The crypt and Beauchamp Chapel were amazing 👍!
Superb historic building. Lovely to see a packed church for the Children's Crib Carol Service.
Love it well worth a visit 5 stars
I attended the Midnight Eucharist service on Christmas Eve. The atmosphere was so warm and welcoming and the choir sang so beautifully.
Gorgeous church! Had fun with the brass rubbings and were treated to an excellent choral rehearsal while we colored.
Excellent we loved it, helpful staff and great shop
Came to visit the castle but seeing the church from a distance felt i needed to explore .
Very friendly, informative and helpful team on duty , stunning church interior and the music playing really added to the relaxing atmosphere . I lit Candles for both my sets of grandparents who have passed .
Breathtakingly beautiful
An undiscovered gem. Don’t miss the ‘extra chapels’ not visible straight away.
Friendly welcome, brass rubbing, lovely shop
Absolutely gorgeous church with more history than you can shake a stick at. And wonderful welcoming staff,a must visit place :)
A very atmospheric place to be, both inside and out.
A most magnificent church surpassed only by the wonderful people who look after it.
A great, historic Church since Saxon times and final resting place of The Beauchamp who presided over the trial of Joan of Arc. A treasure-house of wonders not to be missed!
A beautiful and very interesting church. We visited when they had a Christmas tree festival at the end of November, the trees were lovely and it gave us the opportunity to have a good look round this lovely place.
On Thursday we attended a Christmas concert, which was excellent as usual.
Welcoming lady on front desk was helpful. I am not the biggest fan of 18th C. churches, but plenty of interest with the norman crypt and chantry chapels with 16th c. Monuments. A shame the church was covered with scaffolding and sheeting but repairs need to be done. It is very difficult to get a good external photo!
loved that magic place, i spent some hours around the building and the graveyard, a meditative place
Wow 😮
Just amazing
A must visit if you are in Warwick
Wonderful history a historians dream & a witches ducking stool in the crypt what more can you ask for
Free entry tho please leave a donation out of respect for the wonderful work that’s done here.
Sorry I couldn’t give it more than 5 stars
Just beautiful
What an incredible, beautiful building. So many things to see and take in. We were also given some amazing insights and information from Sheila, a volunteer at the church who pointed out so many things we would have missed had we been on our own. Overall it was a wonderful experience to visit your church. Thank you.
We had a lovely evening.. Wonderful music good company plus great food and service.. My friends and I are looking forward to the next event.
This place is steeped in history and well worth the visit! The crypt and Beauchamp Chapel were amazing 👍!
Superb historic building. Lovely to see a packed church for the Children's Crib Carol Service.
Love it well worth a visit 5 stars
I attended the Midnight Eucharist service on Christmas Eve. The atmosphere was so warm and welcoming and the choir sang so beautifully.
Gorgeous church! Had fun with the brass rubbings and were treated to an excellent choral rehearsal while we colored.
Excellent we loved it, helpful staff and great shop
Came to visit the castle but seeing the church from a distance felt i needed to explore .
Very friendly, informative and helpful team on duty , stunning church interior and the music playing really added to the relaxing atmosphere . I lit Candles for both my sets of grandparents who have passed .
Breathtakingly beautiful
An undiscovered gem. Don’t miss the ‘extra chapels’ not visible straight away.
Friendly welcome, brass rubbing, lovely shop
Absolutely gorgeous church with more history than you can shake a stick at. And wonderful welcoming staff,a must visit place :)
A very atmospheric place to be, both inside and out.
A most magnificent church surpassed only by the wonderful people who look after it.
A great, historic Church since Saxon times and final resting place of The Beauchamp who presided over the trial of Joan of Arc. A treasure-house of wonders not to be missed!
A beautiful and very interesting church. We visited when they had a Christmas tree festival at the end of November, the trees were lovely and it gave us the opportunity to have a good look round this lovely place.
On Thursday we attended a Christmas concert, which was excellent as usual.
Welcoming lady on front desk was helpful. I am not the biggest fan of 18th C. churches, but plenty of interest with the norman crypt and chantry chapels with 16th c. Monuments. A shame the church was covered with scaffolding and sheeting but repairs need to be done. It is very difficult to get a good external photo!