Church of St Mary

St Mary’s Church stands in the Derbyshire village of Crich. Built in the 12th century, it has grown through the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. A vestry was added in the 20th century after earlier restorations in the 19th and early 20th. In 1945 lightning struck the roof and started a fire that villagers put out with stirrup pumps. The church shares its parish with All Saints’ Church in nearby South Wingfield. Inside are several notable monuments. Sir William de Wakebridge, who died around 1369, has a tomb here. Other figures include Godfrey Beresford, John Clay, German Pole and German Wheatcroft, each commemorated with carved stones and inscriptions. The church also once housed a William Hill pipe organ from 1913, later sold in 2012. Visitors enter a space shaped by centuries of change. The nave and aisles show medieval stonework, while the vestry is a later addition. The monuments line the walls, their inscriptions recording lives from the 14th to the 19th century. Light falls through clear glass, illuminating the simple furnishings and the quiet dignity of the building.