St Mary’s Reawakened
By Barry Richardson
This week I visited St Mary’s several times — not as a blogger, but simply as a visitor. I found myself resuming my ‘old station’ in the new café (like going from a modest little TV to a full widescreen panorama — momentarily disorienting, yet instantly wonderful), gazing down (and up) at the majestic sweep of the nave. It felt both familiar and entirely new at the same time.
The view from this new space is mightier than the previous vantage point tucked away where the Magnus Room pod now neatly sits.
The Grand Entrance
I first entered through the south porch, which as most people know opens directly into the nave, with the newly repositioned font now sitting to your right — moved from its earlier home where the café pod stands today.
But I also made a point of walking in through the great west doors — now automatic, in a thoughtful nod to accessibility — and I was unexpectedly moved.
The new pods gently constrain the view as you enter that way: the Magnus Room to the left, the café to the right. Your eye is held back for a moment, tricked almost, until you pass beneath the west tower.
And then suddenly — BAM! — the whole church reveals itself at once: the soaring columns reaching heavenwards, the altar screen glinting with its golden sheen in the distance. It is a moment of pure, medieval revelation.
Where Are the Buckets?
Gone are the strategic buckets that once captured the tears of a weeping roof — there not only to catch rainwater but to trip up an unwary visitor gazing upwards. A roof that was, quite literally, hole‑y rather than holy.
Gone too are the worried and concerned faces, overwhelmed by the endless list of building issues. In their place are faces glowing with pride, their energies now poured into warmly welcoming people into this extraordinary space.
New Interpretation Boards
New interpretation boards sit sensitively and strategically throughout the building. The necessary miscellany of various groups’ artefacts has been carefully and respectfully housed in newly created storage areas. And in another gentle nod to modernity, several multimedia screens now help narrate the glorious history of the church.
Final Thoughts
In what may be my last blog for the Reawakening project, I can admit something: I always feared that seeing the works from the inside would dull the eventual impact of the finished building. How wrong I was.
And finally, a word of thanks. None of this would have been possible without the brave, bold souls who, at some recent point, simply said that enough was enough and embarked on what must have seemed an impossible task. Their courage, persistence, and refusal to accept gradual decline have given the town back a treasure — restored, renewed, and ready for generations to come.
Don’t take it from me. Visit. Be wowed. Sit in this ancient space. And whether you are a believer or a non‑believer, take a moment to remember the generations who have gone before — give thanks for those who had the vision and capability to renew this incredible place, and enjoy the privilege we now have in seeing St Mary’s reawakened.