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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of Buckinghamshire

by Peter Kessler, 20 May 2020

Milton Keynes Part 1: Churches of Bletchley & Bow Brickhill

St Mary's Church, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire

St Mary's Church, Bletchley, is at the northern end of a long path from the north side of Church Green, and with Whalley Drive Cemetery on its western flank. When Milton Keynes was designated a new town in 1967, Bletchley, now part of it, had already long been a small town in its own right. The church is Norman, originally built in the late twelfth century but rebuilt in the thirteenth century and being added to and altered over the course of the subsequent two centuries.

St Mary's Church, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire

Generally Perpendicular in style, the church was built using limestone rubble. The chancel is thirteenth century while the fourteenth century south porch has a wonderful Norman doorway which may have been moved from elsewhere in the structure during the rebuild. It was fully restored in the early eighteenth century (by Browne Willis, the noted early antiquary), and then again in the nineteenth century. The interior has very complete medieval fabric of the late 1200s-1400s.

All Saints Church, Bow Brickhill, Buckinghamshire

All Saints Church, Bow Brickhill, is south-west of Church Road, and roughly 150m south-east of the Drakewell Road junction. It dates to before 1185 but heavy remodelling in the 1400s obliterated most of the earlier details (adding the aisles). It is built of sandstone rubble, in large blocks, dug from the greensand escarpment on which is stands. It was extensively restored by Browne Willis in 1757. During the Napoleonic Wars the tower was used as a telegraph station.

Two photos on this page originally published on Lynne's 'Echoes of the Past' blog and reproduced here with permission, and one kindly contributed by Douglas Law via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group. Additional information from Echoes of the Past and by Douglas Law.

 

 

     
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