St Mary's Church, Fleet Marston

St Mary’s Church stands in a field north-east of the A41, about three kilometres from Aylesbury. It belongs to the deserted medieval village of Fleet Marston and is listed at Grade II*. The Churches Conservation Trust now cares for the building after it became redundant in 1972. John Wesley preached his first sermon here soon after his ordination in 1725. The church occupies a quiet spot surrounded by open land. The church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, with later changes in the 14th and 15th. George Gilbert Scott carried out a restoration in 1868. Its walls are made of coursed rubble stone beneath tiled roofs. A bellcote crowns the west gable, and buttresses support the corners. Inside, a 14th-century chancel arch rests on piers carved with ball-flower motifs. Visitors find a simple nave with a north porch and a chancel beyond. The nave’s north wall holds a large single-light window and a restored 15th-century two-light window. The south wall contains a four-light window. Inside, the 15th-century roof and a 13th-century font remain. Memorial tablets from the late 18th and 19th centuries line the walls.