St Mary de Crypt Church

St Mary de Crypt Church stands in Gloucester’s Southgate Street, beside the ruins of Greyfriars. First recorded in 1140, it is an Anglican church with a Grade I listing. The name has changed over centuries from the Church of the Blessed Mary within Southgate to Christ Church and finally St Mary de Crypt. A schoolroom built in 1539 by Joan Cooke still survives beside the church. The building has witnessed key moments in Gloucester’s past, including the First English Civil War siege in 1643. The church holds notable figures from history. George Whitefield gave his first Methodist sermon here in 1736. Robert Raikes, founder of Sunday Schools, was baptised and later buried here in 1811. Jemmy Wood, known as the Gloucester Miser, was buried in 1836. The church’s Norman west door features a carved tympanum showing the Agnus Dei, symbols of Christ’s Resurrection. A Renaissance-style pulpit from the 17th century sits in the 15th-century nave. Visitors find a restored interior with medieval and later details. The crypt at the nave’s west end gives the church its name. The 14th-century rebuilding left traces of earlier stonework inside. The church now serves as a place of worship, creative space and community venue. Outside, Southgate Street leads to the adjacent ruins of Greyfriars. The building’s layered history is visible in every arch and memorial.