Tuesday 12 September 2017

Churches (10) : St Mary, Chesham

The oldest parts of St Mary's Church in Chesham date from the 12th century (the earliest mention of a church on the site is from 1153) though much of the church was rebuilt in the 15th and 17th centuries. As a place of worship the site dates back much further however. The church was built on a Bronze Age stone circle, some of the stones being incorporated into the church's foundations. The majority of the church is built from flint and limestone.

The church required strengthening work in the 19th and 20th centuries due to subsidence from graves and the weight of the bell tower. The tower has a lead roof, the weight of which caused large cracks in the tower.

The church consists of a chancel, North and South aisles and a clerestoried nave. Much of the church is in the Gothic style from its rebuildings in the later centuries though some elements such as a window survive from the original 12th century church.