St. Mary and St. Martin’s Church, Blyth

St Mary and St Martin’s Church stands in the village of Blyth, Nottinghamshire, on ground once occupied by a Benedictine priory founded in 1088. The priory was built by Roger de Builli, a follower of William the Conqueror, and staffed at first by monks from Rouen. French monks later proved difficult to keep in the English climate, with some sent back for misconduct. By 1536 the priory was surrendered after serious allegations against five monks. The net annual income at the time was £180, and the prior received a pension of twenty marks. After the Dissolution the east part of the church was removed and a tower added at the west end of the nave. In 1885 the church underwent restoration under C. Hodgson Fowler, with Thomas Woolston of Stamford acting as contractor. The building’s Norman architecture remains among the oldest in the country. A flash mob wedding filmed here in 2013 brought wider attention to the church. Inside, the nave and tower show clear signs of their different periods. The organ survives with a specification recorded nationally. The church’s stonework and proportions reflect its long history from priory to parish church. Visitors walk between layers of the 11th and 19th centuries.