Churches in S Tidworth


	For more than 100 years following the demolition of the old mediaeval church in 1784, the only church in South Tidworth was the small family chapel - now known as the Burial (or Mortuary) Chapel - at the top of Church Lane. It was built using stone from the demolished mediaeval church and still holds a couple of interesting inscribed wall plaques from the original church, dating from about 1730.
One commemorates a previous owner of Tedworth House, John Smith, an eminent politician of his day, who was a Lord of the Treasury at the time the Bank of England was first opened (1694) and Speaker of the first British Parliament following the Act of Union of England and Scotland in 1707.
St Mary’s Church was commissioned by Sir John Kelk, the eminent Victorian civil engineer and building contractor who had been responsible for the construction of several London landmarks, including the Great Exhibition (1851), Victoria Station (1858-60) and the Albert Memorial (1864). In 1875 he became High Sheriff of Hampshire and in 1876 he bought the Tedworth Estate, embarking on a programme of re-building and renovation which, as well as St Mary’s, included the planting of the avenue of lime trees leading to Tedworth House which is still there today. St Mary’s Church was built in 1879-80, very close to the site of the original mediaeval church, beside the Shipton Road (the A338). Sir John’s wife, Rebecca Anne, laid the foundation stone for the new church, which can be seen on the side of the church nearest the road.
St Mary’s Church, was designed by John Johnson, a respected Victorian architect well known for building Alexandra Palace in London. St Mary’s has many interesting features; its interior is decorated with polished grey-veined marble columns and mosaic flooring. It was used as the South Tidworth village church until it was declared redundant on 1 Sept 1972 when the parishes of North and South Tidworth were joined ecclesiastically, although services are held there from time to time.