Church of St. Mary's, Swindon

Introduction

In the period of post-war austerity, three identical church designs were produced for the Swindon area, of which the Church of Saint Mary's, Swindon is the only one surviving in its original form. Post-war building restrictions were in operation when the Church of Saint Mary's was built to serve a new suburb of Swindon. Similar designs and materials were used by R. J. Beswick & Son of Swindon, the firm that built all three churches. An approximate cost of £9,330 covered the Church of Saint Mary's, which was designed to seat 300.

History

A wedding was celebrated at St Mary's Church. Room for a future church was left by the siting of the churches, as the Catholic Building Review recorded. Each church has or had a high sanctuary raised on a large number of steps, allowing the sanctuary later to serve as a parish hall stage. Date and artist or maker are not established for the east-window glass, Our Lady Trampling a Serpent, which is the notable furnishing.

Architecture and furnishings

A reinforced concrete truss and cavity walls form the small church, which is faced with random courses of artificial stone and has artificial stone window surrounds and concrete roof tiles. Circular windows fill the east and west gables, the west window standing over a flat-roofed porch. Side bays are marked by pilasters that carry pre-cast bellmouth capitals, and metal-framed triple lights with mullions, leaded divisions and opaque glass form the side windows. Inside, plaster and paint cover the brickwork, reinforced concrete knee arches support the roofs, and the ceiling is lined with insulating board. The pews, which are imported, have an unknown provenance.

Visiting

Parishioners may take home the statue of Our Lady of Fatima for prayer and special occasions. Church cleaning takes place every Friday after morning Mass.

Baptisms are welcomed into the Church at St Mary's. A car boot sale was postponed due to lack of bookings. Chairs are available for hire from the church.