With Norman foundations, St Mary’s Church has borne witness to almost 1,000 years of history.
Enter the church to view the final resting place of many of Ashford’s nobility including Sir John Fogge, once treasurer to Edward IV. Today the church remains an important feature of the community, a popular place of worship that also regularly hosts arts performances.
Between 1475 and 1483 the church we see today was completed by Sir John Fogge who was at that time “the lord of the manor of Repton. He died in 1490. His tomb stands in the church near to the high alter. The church before his time had a much smaller tower. This was again made higher and now stands at 120 feet. The vanes on the top are still the highest building in ashford.
In the C17th, the windows of St Mary’s were destroyed by Parliamentarians during the Civil War. The windows are now a folly in a house wall in Park Street.
In 1827 the galleries were added and were mostly used by pupils of the grammer school which was housed in building which is now the museum. Smaller galleries were in place as far back as 1616.
Facing the entrance of the church, turn right and walk around the Churchyard, to The College. The building that is now the Vicarage is a part of the College of Chantry Priests which Sir John Fogge built in 1468 as part of his scheme to make the rebuilt Church a collegiate church.
Read more about some of the buildings in the Church Yard:
- Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin
- 16 – 17 The Church Yard †
- 14 -15 The Church Yard †
- 13 Church Yard (Talbot House) †
- 8 – 12 The Church Yard †
- 6 – 7 Church Yard
- The Clergy House
- The College
- Telephone Kiosk, Church Yard †
† Comprises only an extract of the list entry for the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990