St Mary's Church in the Lace Market

A Monument to Medieval Prosperity

St Mary's Church represents the pinnacle of Nottingham's wealth and ambition during the 15th century. The present building, begun around 1386 and completed before 1475, stands as the largest medieval structure in the city and testifies to the prosperity poured into its construction by the guilds, merchants, and gentry of Nottingham society. Built in the Perpendicular Gothic style, the church displays the architectural hallmarks of this period: a Latin cross plan, a tower rising 126 feet above ground level, massive windows with delicate tracery, and slender ribbed pillars that create an impression of soaring grace. The nave extends 215 feet from west to east, while the transepts span 100 feet north to south, creating an interior of remarkable spaciousness and light. The church's most distinctive feature is its sensationally daring structure crowned by a massive tower completed during the reign of Henry VIII. The oldest door in Nottingham can be found in the north aisle, a testament to the building's antiquity. The historic porch, dating to around 1400, features a stone vault and exquisite bronze doors adorned with five panels on each leaf illustrating scenes from the Life of Our Lord, including the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Epiphany, and the Salvator Mundi.

Centuries of Restoration and Transformation

Like many medieval churches, St Mary's endured significant challenges across the centuries. The Reformation of the 16th century, the Civil War of the 17th, and unsympathetic alterations in the 18th century stripped the church of much of its medieval splendour. However, the last two hundred years have witnessed sensitive restorations that have returned the building to its former glory. In the 1840s, when the tower became unsafe, major rebuilding works were undertaken under the direction of renowned architects George Gilbert Scott and William Moffat. Four piers of the tower were rebuilt, and three tiers of cast iron chain ties were installed to strengthen the structure—these ties remain visible today. The tower pinnacles were replaced, and the nave and chancel roof timbers were renewed. In 1885, a magnificent new reredos was erected behind the High Altar, featuring painted panels depicting Christ, the Crucifixion, the Annunciation, and the four major prophets, along with oak panelling and a screen at the chancel entrance. The Chapter House, begun by Canon Morse, was completed in 1889. More recent improvements include the 2012–2013 replacement of the nave floor with a stunning design by architect Tess Jaray, incorporating Ancaster stone from Lincolnshire and Corncockle stone from Scotland, along with the installation of underfloor heating. In 2015, following a lottery grant, the lead on the nave roof was recycled, melted down, re-rolled, and re-laid, work completed by Easter 2016.

A Civic and Social Heart

Beyond its architectural significance, St Mary's has served as the civic and spiritual heart of Nottingham for centuries. The church functioned as the town's largest building, used for civic and legal purposes including the election and swearing in of the mayor and corporation. In 1512, Agnes Mellers, widow of Mayor and bell founder Richard Mellers, established a grammar school within the parish that would eventually become Nottingham High School. By the 1820s, 77 percent of Nottingham's population lived within the parish of St Mary's, many in extreme poverty. The church responded by establishing a workhouse in 1725, which survived for nearly two hundred years. During the 1851 census, the morning service alone attracted 740 people plus 800 scholars, with 300 attending in the afternoon and 800 in the evening. The church pioneered Sunday School education as early as 1751, predating Robert Raikes' famous Gloucester initiative by decades. These schools provided not only religious instruction but also taught reading and writing to children unable to attend day school. St Mary's Institute, built on Barker Gate in 1874, served parish activities, the Sunday school, youth clubs, and the choir. The first meeting of the National Council of Women, founded to improve the lot of lace workers, was held in the church in 1895.

Stories Woven into Stone

St Mary's is rich with historical associations and notable figures. The celebrated diarist Abigail Gawthern was buried in the church grounds in 1822, leaving a fascinating record of Nottingham's Georgian cultural and social life. The poet and writer Lucy Joynes was baptised at St Mary's in 1782; her published poems were often religious in nature and child-friendly, recording notable Nottingham events in verse. Jane Jerram, a children's writer, was married at the church in 1836 and later wrote under the mentorship of Nottingham writer Mary Howitt. The church retains Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. Legend connects Robin Hood to the church; the ballad Robin Hood and the Monk, written around 1450, describes Robin attending mass at St Mary's, and local tradition claims he was arrested in the building after accessing it through a tunnel from the law courts. In more recent times, the grave of George Africanus, a West African former slave who became a successful entrepreneur in Nottingham in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, has become a focus of local interest and reflection. During the Second World War, church members took turns fire-watching overnight in the Chapter House, and on 8 March 1941, an incendiary bomb struck the building, causing a fire that was extinguished with difficulty.

A Living Place of Worship and Reflection

Today, St Mary's continues its role as both a working parish church and a major cultural landmark. The church welcomes visitors for private prayer and reflection, offering a tranquil garden in the busy city centre. Guidebooks, trails, and explorer bags are available to help visitors of all ages interpret the building and learn about its long and fascinating history. The church hosts regular services, including Sunday worship at 10:45 am and 6:30 pm, atmospheric choral evensong on Wednesdays during term time, and weekday services including Morning Prayer and Holy Communion. The ten magnificent newly gilded angels, hidden in the roof for 170 years, have recently been revealed and restored, adding to the church's visual splendour. St Mary's remains a beacon of hope and a haven of peace, embodying centuries of Nottingham's spiritual, civic, and cultural heritage.