St Mary's Church, Fordingbridge

St Mary’s Church in Fordingbridge stands beside the River Avon in Hampshire. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries, it is a Grade I listed building that was restored in the 19th century. The church appears much as it did after the 1840 renovation, apart from the organ added in 1887 and the reredos in 1920. Its north chapel has a chestnut roof that looks like a hammerbeam roof. The tower houses eight bells plus a Sanctus bell. The church once had a three-decker pulpit, now removed, and Victorian pews have been replaced by chairs. The church has links to King’s College, Cambridge. In 1447 Henry VI granted lands and the advowson to the college after they came from Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham. The exterior has changed little since the 16th century, though originally the flint walls would have been plastered. Charles Ponting directed a restoration between 1901 and 1903. A new window was commissioned in the south aisle for the millennium. Two bells were sent to Whitechapel Bell Foundry to be recast and re-tuned. Inside, the churchyard has a monument to the Chubb family and a memorial to James Alexander Seton, the last man killed in a duel in England. The churchyard closed in 1896 and was cleared later to ease maintenance. Many gravestones now form the path from the lichgate to the north porch. The choir sings every Sunday, with Evensong on the third and fourth Sunday evenings each month. An annual Patronal Festival takes place on the first weekend in July.