St Mary's Church, Henbury

St Mary's Church
Church of St Mary the Virgin
St Mary's Church from the churchyard
St Mary's Church
51°30′24″N 2°37′52″W / 51.506728°N 2.631207°W / 51.506728; -2.631207
LocationHenbury, Bristol
DenominationChurch of England
Websitewww.stmarys-henbury.co.uk
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSt Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Architect(s)Thomas Rickman (1836 restoration)
George Edmund Street (1875–77 restoration)
Architectural typeEnglish Gothic
(Early English and Perpendicular)
Groundbreakingc. 1200
Completed13th century
Administration
ProvinceProvince of Canterbury
DioceseDiocese of Bristol
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChurch of St Mary the Virgin
Designated8 January 1959
Reference no.1205113

St Mary the Virgin (grid reference ST562788) is a Church of England parish church in Henbury, a suburb of Bristol, England. Located within an extensive churchyard visible from the nearby Blaise Castle Estate, the building has been designated by Historic England as a Grade II* listed building.

The site has a history of Christian worship possibly dating to a 7th-century grant of land to the Bishop of Worcester. The core of the present building was constructed around 1200 in the transitional Late Norman to Early Gothic style, with the chancel, tower, and chapels added during the 13th and 14th centuries. For several centuries, the church functioned as a prebend of the college at Westbury-on-Trym, counting the theologian John Wycliffe among its prebendary.

The fabric of the church was significantly altered during the 19th century through extensive restoration work carried out by the Gothic Revival architects Thomas Rickman and George Edmund Street. While retaining its medieval nave arcades and distinctive segmental doorways, the interior was refitted with new furnishings, stained glass, and a stone reredos. The churchyard is notable for its historic monuments, including the Grade II* listed grave of Scipio Africanus, an 18th-century enslaved servant, and the tomb of the Egyptologist Amelia Edwards.