| St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston | |
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St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston
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| OS grid reference | SP779159 |
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| Location | Fleet Marston, Buckinghamshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 21 December 1967 |
| Architect(s) | George Gilbert Scott (restoration) |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, roofs tiled |
St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston, is the redundant Church of England parish church of the deserted medieval village of Fleet Marston, Buckinghamshire, England. English Heritage has designated it a Grade II* listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2] The church stands in a field to the northeast of the A41 road, some 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Aylesbury.[2][3] John Wesley preached his first sermon in the church soon after he was ordained deacon in September 1725.[2][4]
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The church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, and probably stands on the site of an earlier church.[2] Alterations were made in the 14th and 15th centuries.[1] It was restored in 1868 by George Gilbert Scott.[2] The church was declared redundant on 20 January 1972 and was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 24 October 1973.[5]
St Mary's is built of coursed rubble stone and has tiled roofs. The church stands on a plinth and has diagonal buttresses. Its plan consists of a nave with a north porch, and a chancel. At the west end of the gable is a bellcote. In the north wall of the nave, in addition to the porch, is a large single-light window, and a restored 15th-century two-light window. The south wall contains a four-light window. In the north and east walls of the chancel are single-light windows. In the south wall is a similar window, a two-light window, and a doorway.[1]
Inside the church is a chancel arch dating from the early 14th century. It is carried on semi-octagonal piers whose capitals are decorated with ball flower motifs. The roof dates from the 15th century. In a window-sill on the south of the chancel is a piscina. The font consists of a circular bowl on a plain stem, and possibly dates from the 13th century. In the church are memorial tablets dating from the late 18th and the 19th centuries.[1]