The Church of St Mary the Virgin, New Park Street, Devizes, dates from the Norman times and is one of the most important buildings in the town, with the church tower a particular landmark. The building is listed Grade I.
12th century beginnings
St. Mary’s was the original church in Devizes. The present building, started by Bishop Roger of Salisbury in 1143, replaced an earlier simpler church built outside the castle walls for the growing town.
Entering the church by the south porch, one is impressed by the fine proportions of the interior, the graceful lofty arcades, the unusual height of the tower arch and the Norman work in the east end.
The Tower is one of the most remarkable features of St. Mary’s with its soaring tower arch. It is forty feet high and ten feet wide, its apex being level with the top of the clerestory.
