St Mary, Great Abington

St Mary, High Street, Great Abington

History of St Mary

Listed Building:

Parish church. Chancel and nave c.1200; west tower c.1225; tower arch and inserted south arcade and aisle early C14. South porch C14. Windows to nave and south aisle replaced in C15. North doorway blocked with inserted C19 window.

Historic England

There is a picture drawn by Cole of the church complete with thatched roof. Cole saw this verse pinned on the door:

Sure they must be wicked people

That that the church; so fine a steeple

Let the Parishioners for shame

Take off the thatch and lead the same

If’t can’t be done without relief

The parish may get a brief.

The roof was eventually tiled but  in 1943, when the church was damaged by an explosion, the original thatch was exposed again.

1941 (CDN 16.3.1948):

It was in 1941 when a bomb fell on the bridge which is at present undergoing repairs, that the church suffered its first shock. Then one was dropped on the Land Settlement, an aircraft also crashed in the vicinity, and there were one or two other explosions nearby which finally necessitated the closing of the the church in November 1946, as it was considered unsafe for public worship. The work of restoration was begun in that year but it had to be stopped for a time until a few months ago when Messrs Rattee and Kett Ltd, of Cambridge, were able to re-start and complete it.