Swaffham prior churches, c. 1890. St Mary’s on right. (Photo Scott and Wilkinson)(Cambridgeshire Collection)

St Mary’s church, Swaffham Prior

History of St Mary's

Listed Building

Parish church, of West porch, West Tower, Nave, North and South aisles and chancel. St Mary’s has a particularly fine west tower, mainly late C12 and early C13, but the West wall of the nave and parts of the chancel are c1100 and survive from the Norman church on the site. The nave, aisles, West porch are all C15 and the exterior was heavily restored in 1878 by Arthur Blomfield. West porch, C15, of clunch, badly worn, with rebuilt gable roof. West tower has a rectangular ground stage, late C12, and the upper two are sixteen sided and early C13. …. The brasses are mostly C15 and C16, but there is one to Robert Chambers, 1638. The glazing is C19 and C20. In the South aisle principally to the Allix family and in the North aisle World War II and II War Memorials. The font bowl is C13 but the stem and base are modern. 

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St Mary’s Church is one of Cambridgeshire’s most distinctive parish churches, celebrated for standing alongside the neighbouring Church of St Cyriac in one of England’s most remarkable twin-church sites. The presence of two ancient parish churches within a single churchyard has intrigued historians for centuries and reflects the complex ecclesiastical history of Swaffham Prior, where two medieval parishes developed side by side before eventually being united.

The most striking feature of St Mary’s is its impressive Norman tower, built in the twelfth century. Unlike the more common square towers of East Anglia, it rises in a series of octagonal stages, giving the church a unique and commanding silhouette. The tower is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Cambridgeshire and demonstrates the ambition and skill of its medieval builders. The remainder of the church was rebuilt and enlarged during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, creating a harmonious blend of Norman and Gothic architecture.

Inside, the church has a light and welcoming atmosphere. Medieval arcades, a handsome font and later timber furnishings reflect centuries of continuous worship, while sensitive Victorian restoration preserved the building’s historic character. One of the church’s most notable twentieth-century additions is its series of memorial windows by the stained-glass artist Thomas Frederick Curtis. Installed after the Second World War, these colourful windows commemorate members of the local community and demonstrate how modern craftsmanship can sit comfortably within a medieval setting.

The relationship between St Mary’s and neighbouring St Cyriac makes the church particularly significant. Together they form one of the most unusual ecclesiastical ensembles in Britain, illustrating how changing patterns of population, patronage and worship shaped the medieval landscape. Combined with its remarkable Norman tower and rich architectural history, St Mary’s remains one of Cambridgeshire’s most fascinating and distinctive historic churches.

Reference: based on the description of Swaffham Prior in Simon Jenkins, England’s Thousand Best Churches, with additional architectural and historical context.

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‘Swaffham – Two Churches’, 2016, suggests that the dedication to St Cyricac and Julitta may date from the time of the Norman Conquest. The situation of the this church on higher and more central ground suggests an earlier foundation. However, the two churches seem to have served separate parishes withon the township. In the 13th century St Mary’s rectory was granted to Anglesey Abbey. The rectory of St Cyriac’s was granted to the Bishop of Ely .

At the Dissolution St Mary’s parish reverted to the Bishop while St Cyriac’s went to the Dean and Chapter of Ely Cathedral.

In 1667 an Act of Parliament was passed which said that both ‘vicaridges’ were to be united under one priest. Martin Hill was appointed the first vicar of Swaffham St Cyriac cum St Mary.

Hill’s successor was John Peter Allix, son of a prominent French protestant who fled England in 1685.

William Collier, the next vicar, had married Dean Allix’s daughter. Collier appears to have allowed the fabric of St Cyriac’s to deteriorate and de factor create a single parish church.  Then one July Sunday during the service in St Mary “lightening fell upon the spire … a ball of fire descended into the body of the church and burst in the middle aile with a most violent explosion”. This was taken as a bad omen and the congregation wanted to demolish the spire.

In 1802 it was decided to demolish the spire of St Mary’s at a cost of £25. This was a disaster because the roof of the nave and the porch had been damaged in the process. Instead of having to tackle the mess they had made however the parishioners were able simply to turn to their other church, even though by now this was also in disrepair.

With one medieval building unusable they decided to pull down the pother and rebuild. A parochial rate of twenty-two shillings in the pound was then imposed for the erection of the new building. A later commentary in the Church Monthly of 1901 records that “many of the parishioners were so exasperated at this heavy tax upon their purses that they left the worship of the Church.”

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Restoration of St Mary’s began in 1878 when the chancel and vestry were rebuilt. The church was reopened in 1902.