Country England Previous denomination Roman Catholic Heritage designation Grade I Designated as world heritage site 21 December 1967 | Website St Mary's, Haddenham Phone +44 1844 291108 | |
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Address Haddenham, Aylesbury HP17 8AH, UK Profiles | ||
St Mary's Church is the Church of England parish church of Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. It is a Grade I listed building.
Contents
History
Parts of the church are 12th century Norman, from when the Benedictine abbey of Rochester, Kent held the parish. The first priest was called just Gilbert.
Other parts of the building may be from the original Saxon church, including the font, which has a drawing of a dragon imprinted on it. The tower is Early English Gothic and according to experts, it is the finest demonstration of Early English in the county.
In 2008 the church had major refurbishments, as part of the Millennium 2 project. A new vestry, creche and kitchen were built and the roof was repaired, along with other additions and fixings.
Organ
A pipe organ built by Norman and Beard of Norwich was installed in 1967. The organ had been built in 1916 for a church in London, which was bombed in the Second World War. In 2007 this was replaced because it's restoration would cost more than a new instrument so a new electric organ was put in the church as part of the parish's Millennium 2 project.
Organ Specifications
The full organ specifications are as follows:
Famous relations
The astronomer William Rutter Dawes is buried in the churchyard. He did much of his work with the stars in his private observatory in Haddenham. Craters in the Moon and on Mars are named after him, along with a gap in Saturn's ring. Also Sir Denis Arthur also buried in the same place. Very interested in telescopes and microscopes, the Dawes limit is named after him as well. Many episodes of the murder mystery television series Midsomer Murders were filmed in Haddenham, with the church being a major part of the productions.