St Mary’s

Introduction

St Mary’s in Axminster, within the Diocese of Plymouth, was designed by William Wardell and built under the direction of George Goldie, both distinguished mid-nineteenth century Catholic architects.

History

Outside the church, much of what was established in the early 1860s remains, some of it little altered, including the priest's house and its garden. The existing building replaced an earlier chapel on the Lyme road which had been there since 1830 by George Bragg, a local builder.

The congregation planned to build a small chapel on Lyme Road, and the work was entrusted to local builder George Bragg. The new chapel was opened by Bishop Baines, Vicar Apostolic for the Western District, on 15 August 1831. In 1854 Henry Knight commissioned architect William Wardell to prepare plans for a new and larger church on the site of the existing chapel. Henry Knight died in 1858 and William Wardell emigrated to Australia for the sake of his health.

The priest-in-charge, Father John Toohey, moved into the new presbytery on 8 December 1861, and was to die there thirty-seven years later. The building was completed by Henry Knight's eldest son, also Henry, under the supervision of architect George Goldie, and opened on Ascension Day, 29 May 1862.

Architecture and furnishings

The east window, the window on the north side of the sanctuary and the round west window all appear to be contemporary with the church and to date from 1862. The window on the north side of the sanctuary depicts our Lady of Sorrows. The west window represents the Last Judgement. The nave windows, two on the north and three on the south, all commemorate members of the Knight and Langran families.

The eight windows form a remarkable collection in very different styles dating from 1862 to 1952. The Lady Altar, erected in memory of Richard Ingham and his family, stands to the north of the chancel arch with a statue of the Madonna and Child above it. To the south of the chancel arch is a statue of our Lord, given by Mary Loveridge in the nineteenth century. The modern font in local Beer stone was installed in 2008, together with the holy water stoop in the porch, funded with the help of a legacy from Aidan Charlesworth.

The Gothic tracery was inspired by the decorated style, as at Exeter Cathedral. A window dating from 1938 is by Paul Woodroffe. The gold chasuble, known as the ‘Easter Egg’, dates from 1864.

The war memorial was put in place in 1919 soon after the end of the First World War. The oak Calvary section underwent complete cleansing, filling of cracks, replacement of rotted wood, new oak tiles, re-inscribing and gilding, and the base was rotated 90 degrees to face Lyme Road.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish supports parents as their baby is welcomed into the Church, including those who are not Catholic. The parish supports parents and children preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation. The parish offers flexibility in funeral rites and encourages discussion with the Parish Priest.

Visiting

On entering St Mary’s, the first things the visitor is likely to notice are the windows. The cemetery contains a number of memorials to members of the Knight family and others, including several parish priests.