 Our
Story: a Brief History
The Saxon church of Saint
Laurence, in the West of the Parish once
was the main Parish Church of the former village of Upton.
By 1830 it had fallen into such disrepair that, seven years
later, a new church had to be built on the site of present-day
Saint Mary's. In 1874, it was replaced with a Neo-Gothic
building. Planned by John Oldrid Scott, a son of Sir Gilbert
Scott, the construction of Saint Mary's preoccupied the architect
from 1875 until the completion of the spire in 1913, only
years before his own death. In 1878 an enlarged building
(consisting of the old Church and a new Gothic sanctuary,
chancel and transepts) was dedicated. In the meantime, funds
were raised to complete Scott's plans. By 1912 it was possible
to demolish the old church and to extend the nave. A benefaction
from Slough business man James Elliman made it possible to
complete the tower and spire by 1913.
The
interior of Saint Mary's is light and graceful, and echoes
the transition
period between Early English and Decorated.
The Church's sanctuary is dominated by fine blue wall tiles,
of Opus
Sectile, probably designed by James Powell & Sons.
An altar triptych, provided by Bodley and Hare tells the story
of the annunciation,
the birth and crucifixion of
Christ.
A rood
screen with triple arches between columns of Greek marble
separates the sanctuary from the nave. The stone cross
on top of the screen is made to a floral design, a symbol of
Christ's resurrection. The impressive
baptismal font at the West end of the Church is made from
onyx with shafts of Irish Green and Pavonazzo marble. Moving
out of the building through the main gate, a carving of the
Madonna and Child above the north-west door points to the church's
patron saint.
The elegant
spire is thought to be the last stone spire to be built
in England. Its sides are slightly curved and completed with
a battlemented parapet and panelled corner pinnacles with
flying buttresses. The stone hoods over the louvred belfry
openings have vertical extensions which spell out the year
of its completion: A.D.MCMXIII — In the year of our
Lord 1913. Built to a total height of 54 metres (178 feet),
the spire is a prominent landmark.
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Ground waste window glass fired into
tiles
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Gospel of Saint Luke, 1.26-35:
In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin
engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to
her and said, "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord
is with you." But she was much perplexed by his
words and pondered what sort of greeting this might
be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will
be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and
of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said
to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The
angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he
will be called Son of God.
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Gospel of Saint Luke, 2.6:
While
Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came
for her to deliver her child. And she
gave birth
to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth,
and laid him in a manger, because there was no place
for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds
living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock
by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do
not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news
of great joy for all the people: to you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ,
the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find
a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among
those whom he favours!"
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Gospel of Saint John, 19.25-30:
Meanwhile,
standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother,
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife
of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother
and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her,
he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then
he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And
from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished,
he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), "I
am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing
there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch
of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had
received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then
he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
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Updated:
August 29, 2006
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