Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick

The Collegiate Church of St Mary stands in the centre of Warwick, just east of the market place. It is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church and a member of the Major Churches Network. The church was founded in 1123 by Roger de Beaumont, the 2nd Earl of Warwick, who also established a college of dean and canons. The only surviving part of the original Norman church is its crypt. In the 14th century, Thomas de Beauchamp, the 11th Earl of Warwick, rebuilt the chancel, transept, nave and aisles in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The church contains notable monuments, including the effigial tombs of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton and brother of Queen Catherine Parr, is buried in the chancel. The Beauchamp Chapel, built by the earl’s descendants, houses these memorials. Wenceslaus Hollar recorded the chapel’s stained glass before it was lost in the Civil War. The church was rebuilt after the Great Fire of Warwick in 1693, with work completed in 1704 under William Wilson, possibly with input from Sir Christopher Wren. Visitors find two organs in the church: one in the transept and another at the west end. The transept organ has been rebuilt several times since the 19th century, while the west end organ dates from 1980. The church’s clock, installed in 1902, was built by John Smith and Sons of Derby. Its four dials are each nearly two metres across, with gilded figures and minutes. The clock mechanism uses Lord Grimthorpe’s gravity escapement and a compensated pendulum to keep time within two seconds each week. The Countess of Warwick set the clock in motion on 21 June 1902.