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The Welney WebsiteSt. Mary's Churchpage created Feb 2005; last updated Friday, 23 May 2025 |
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IntroductionThe Parish Church of Welney, officially St. Mary the Virgin but commonly called simply "St. Mary's" is situated on the west side of Main Street, accessed by a bridge over the Old Croft River and surrounded by an extensive churchyard/ graveyard. It is the third church at this site.Appoaching the church from the road, you will see a group of imposing graves and memorials in front of the Chancel and the taller Nave with bellcote/bell turrett, beyond. The main entrance is the south door at the far (west) end.  photo from website's archives, source not recorded The church is locked when not in use. If you wish to see inside, come during a service (links bottom right) or on a Thursday morning community drop-in social, 10.00-11.45, and ask the Churchwarden for a tour - and enjoy refreshment afterwards. Otherwise, take a tour here. |
PLEASE NOTE
2025. This page is being substantially revised; this is a draft. You may need to "refresh" the page to see latest version.
NEWS
New Incumbent Sept 2024
Rev Canon Dr Mark Collinson |
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c1950. Note row of cottages at left, later demolished to build Taymor Place; also trees behind and to the right of the church, later removed.photo: Welney archives, source n/k 
2005. re-slating roofphoto: courtesy Dick Fiske, Upwell |
ExteriorThe elevationsWalking around, from front of church which faces just a little north of due east, with bellcote which is actually not atop the front wall, its over the end of the nave, then if on site to your left, or right if on device, the south side and main entrance.Then the rear with ramp access for wheelchairs, past the boiler house, to the north side and small door near the front. Clicking an image will bring up a much bigger photo in new window.
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December 2009. Whatever the season or weather, the church is a glorious site. photos: Peter Cox, Dec 2009 |
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 red carstone, Hunstanton beach photo: Peter Cox, 2007 |
Church historyBuilt in 1847/48 by Jeremiah Andrews to a design by JC Buckler in typically Victorian Gothic steep-roofed style, it replaced a small brick Chapel to the south-east. It was part of a large development comprising church, school and shoolmaster's house and almshouses for six poor widows, all largely funded by the charity of William Marshall, Welney's generous benefactor.Two pieces of land for the new Church and almshouses were donated, one by Peter Huddleston and his wife Elizabeth, the other by William Lee. The walls are 'carstone' (red sandstone) blocks from a West Norfolk quarry, probably to the north of Snettisham, laid in a 'coursed' pattern in which a wall has blocks of different heights and lengths, but the same height but random lengths in a layer with support butresses every 12ft or so. The windows are framed with white stone, and the butresses are white stone around carstone. Altogether a very attractve style. The roof rafters are fixed to the tops of the walls in tradtional fashion and supported by curved trusses supported on wall posts. Above the rafters are timber planks laid diagonally, and slate tiles on top. It had seating for 420 (reduced in 1990 to provide a meeting area at the rear), a chancel, nave with gallery and vestry. A pipe organ, built by Holdich of London, was installed in 1874. The pulpit is of neatly carved Caen stone. I understand there were two bells in the bellturret over the chancel arch, one bearing the inscription "John Clarke made by me 1613", the other blank. His foundry mork is a pentacle. There was only been one bell in 1892, and no trace of the other has been found. The one installed now has the inscription (see my photo). The following table is based largely on detailed notes made in 1998 by the late Ken Sorenson who spent many weeks of research and travelled extensively to various reference libraries. I have made a few additions and updates and noted the sources where known below the table. Knowing Ken, I have no doubt of the accuracy of his notes even when sources are not stated. A similar table is included in the Church information leaflet. |
 coursed brickwork, St.Mary's photo: Peter Cox, 2013 |
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A Curate in the Anglican Church is a deacon or priest who assists the Incumbent [eg Rector] of a parish. Often a Curate will be the
priest-in-charge of a smaller church (a chapelry) within a parish with other Churches including the mother-church where the Rector presides.
# from official Church Guide, 2016 * from White's Directory 1854 Note: this list is far from complete. These are the only names found so far. |
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 east window and reredos photo: Peter Cox, Sept 2008 
choir pews each side of chancel - removed in 1999. photo: Welney Archive source n/k 
the Holditch organ photo: Peter Cox, Sept 2008 |
According to a report in the Wisbech Advertiser in September 1848, the church was "fitted with open seats and capable of holding 400 persons, with a gallery at the west end for 120 children."People, particularly children, were much smaller in those days! I believe that 120 was also the number of pupils the school was designed for. An organ by the London firm of G.M. Holdich was installed in 1874 with money donated by parishioners, and the tiled reredos below the east window was added in 1887 funded by friends of the Rector, to mark Queen Victoria's 50th anniversary of her reign. In 1907 more land to the west was aquired (paid for by Marshall's Charity) to extend the Churchyard (consecrated June 1908). Electricity was installed in 1950 (and a year later an electric organ blower) and (oil-fired) radiator central heating in 1963. In 1990 a kitchen was built into what had been the south west vestry, and a toilet installed under the stairs in the north west corner. The rearmost nine pews were removed to make room for a meeting area with tables and chairs. During 2004-2005, the roof was exensively repaired and insulated. Old slates re-used on south roof; new slates fitted on north side, and both sides of chancel roof. New guttering and downpipeswere fitted, and bell removed for repair. |
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'Charity' by Thomas Wilmhurst  Chancel arch and east window. Note 'blind' window above arch, the boards each side & the door. . |
Simon Knott came here in August 2005 as part of his endevour to record all of Norfolk's
churches. Having visited nearly 850 of them (and many churches elsewhere, too), he knows a
thing or two about them, and described St. Mary's thus:"It sits in a long graveyard, surreally close to a water tower, and is the very perfection of west Norfolk coursed carstone, the most ambitious of all 19th century Norfolk churches in this medium. It has recently been reroofed, giving the exterior a crispness in the well-maintained graveyard. The inside is curious, because the church is sinking into the soft Fen soil, more on the south side than the north. As a consequence, the middle of the nave is a good 12 inches higher than the outer walls. The view east is of a delicious Victorian gothic extravaganza, Thomas Wilmhurst's enamel painting of Joshua Reynold's Charity in the east window, a rich, tiled 1880s sanctuary below. Also painted are the imposing decalogue boards either side of the chancel arch that build to a pleasing if meaningless blind window surmounting the east end of the nave. Looking west, there is a fine gallery, which must be contemporary with the proto-ecclesiological east end, placing this building on the very cusp of the revival of medievalism in the 19th century." (all colour photos each side by the webmaster, Peter Cox, Feb 2013) On the left, the small door beside the pulpit and boards around arch are explaned below. |
 east window with painting  looking west from Chancel Arch to gallery. Originally, pews for 400 people plus 120 children in Gallery. |
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 photo: Peter Cox, Feb 2013 |
Many people wonder why the outer North door at the east end of the Church (see left) is so narrow. The reason is that it was a private door just for the priest, not the congregation. It led into a small room
where he (yes he, no female priests then) could dress and prepare for the service. He would then enter the Nave facing the congregation by an even narrower but very tall inner door (see right) to the side of the pulpit. (also see in photo of Chancel Arch above left) |
 photo: Peter Cox, Aug 2010 |
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Commandments I-IV (1-4) |
Each side of the top of the Chancel Arch are what are known as
decalogue means the Ten Commandments.
boards showing the Ten Commandment as decreed for all [Anglican] Churches by Queen Ellizabeth 1st in 1560.Below them are two more boards with the words of the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles Creed, which were often felt to be ‘very fit companions’ for the Commandments. No doubt very useful too for those who couldn't remember the words - provided they could read! |
 Commandments V-X (5-10) |
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the Lord's Prayer east window with painting |
The nave, chancel arch and east window in September 2008. The church had been decorated for a wedding the following day. Note the pews arching up towards the centre as described by Simon Knott above; also the central heating pipes each side of the aisle; and the tablets inset into the side walls commemorating those who died on active service during the two world wars. (There is no war memoral outside). The Wisbech Advertiser of 1848 described the east window: "the centre compartment representing Faith, Hope and Charity; the Queen's arms and the arms of East Anglia, with the rose and portcullis .... introduced ... into the two sidelights"Other reports state that the side panels show the Tudor rose for England, the Royal coat of arms, and the portculis symbolising parliament. The design of the window was by the Rector at the time, Rev'd W.G. Townley, to symbolise the relationship between Church and State. |
the Apostles creed  I would appreciate infprmation of what this represents. |
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The tiled reredos (below) was added in 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign show Moses lifting up the serpent to bring healing and striking the rock to find water. Due to movement of the walls, the altar rails became detached and fillets were made by local carpenter Steve Kerr c2004 to bridge the gaps.  |
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 bell and bell turret in 2013 |
The Church guide-book says there were originally two bells in a turret over the Chancel
arch, one dated 1613 the other blank, but by 1892 there was only one. From my
photo on left there is no sign that a second bell existed in this turret (sometimes
known as a bell-cote) so maybe it was rebuilt when one bell was removed. Which remains
is not recorded. Click u to hear bell In November 2015 the parapets of the access bridge were demolished prior to rebuilding, giving a very temporary glimpse of the original arch (the river now runs through a concrete pipe). I don't know whether the bridge is contemporary with the Church or existed previously for access to the earlier buildings. My guess is contemporary. |
 top of bell marked "made-me"  old bridge arch |
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The Church todaySince Jan 2020, St. Mary's has been part of the united/linked "Benefice of Six Fen Churches" within the Diocese of Ely. All six share one priest, or Rector, but retain their own identity.The six also share a joint website showing details of all services at each. The website is informative but was diffcult to find; none of the previous links worked and there was no re-direction! Use the link at bottom right of this page. In brief, starting 26th January 2025 services will be held at Welney every fourth Sunday at 3 p.m. for 1 hour. All faiths and denominations welcomed, as are children (there is a play area). In the absence of the Rector, services are conduted by a locum priest or a Churchwarden. Administration of St. Mary's is by the Parochial Church Commttee (PCC) comprising the Rector, two Chuchwardens and 5 members of the laity. The Rector is in overall charge but the Churchwardens and PCC members manage the day-to-day running. The Churchwardens stated vision and plans for St. Marys' are to make the Church once again an integral part of the village for the entire community of Welney. The PCC together with several assistants organise the very popular Thursday morning community drop-in "coffee socials", from 10am till mid-day, in the west end of the Nave. A warm welcome and good selection of freshly baked cakes, accompianied most weeks by Jen playing vintage (1960s-80s) music on the piano. At the same time during school holidays, youngsters can enjoy a supervised playgroup at the east end of the nave and in the chancel. Meanwhile, mums can indulge in coffee & cake, or do their own thing for a while. |
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Acknowledgements:
Text based largely on research by the late
Ken Sorensen in 1997-98. Old photos from our archives. New ones by Peter Cox, 2008-2015. And special thanks of course to Simon Knott. Text, design and layout: Peter Cox © 2014-25 Welney Website |
In England, Eccliastical Parishes and the later Civil Parishes are quite different but often confused. Information about the history of both sorts, the various religious denominations and other local places of worship can be found on the first two links on the right. The pages have some duplication, but both should be read. For details of current local Church services, see Six Fen churches. |
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