Church of St Mary

St Mary’s is a 13th-century parish church in the Buckinghamshire village of Wavendon. It stands on a gentle rise above the quiet lanes and brick cottages of the settlement. The building was given Grade II* protection in 1966 for its historic importance. Inside, the church shows three styles of English Gothic: Early Decorated in the chancel, fine Decorated in the nave, and Perpendicular in the roofs and tower. A west tower of five bells marks the entrance end, while a south porch shelters the main doorway. The church is worth visiting for its complete 19th-century restoration by architect Butterfield, paid for by local subscriptions. Its fittings survive almost unchanged since 1849, from the Mintons-tiled nave floor to the oak stalls with carved poppy-heads. The chancel screen carries brass gates enriched with enamelled sunflowers, and the east window holds stained glass by O’Connor of London. Two marble monuments recall the Hoare family of Wavendon House, while the Walker organ of 1849 still plays in the north chancel. A visitor finds a spacious nave with clustered columns dividing four-bay aisles. The chancel arch frames a low screen and a pair of brass gates, beyond which the east window blazes with coloured light. The floor is patterned in encaustic tiles, and the communion table is draped in embroidered velvet. In the aisles, stained glass tells stories of the Annunciation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. Outside, the churchyard holds modern crosses and old headstones to local families.