St Mary's Church, Southampton

About

Saint Mary's Church, is the civic church for the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England. Originally founded in circa 634, St Mary's has been the mother church of Southampton since its inception. The present building, now the sixth incarnation of a church on this site, dates mostly to a rebuilding from 1954 to 1956, following its destruction in the Southampton Blitz, except for the notable Grade II listed tower and spire, which date from 1912 to 1914.

Being the mother church of the city, it is both the tallest and the largest church in Southampton, making it a local landmark, after which another landmark, St Mary's Stadium, is named. The church is notable for its tall tower and spire, which survived the Blitz, stained glass windows, post-war architecture and fine Willis organ, which is amongst the largest of any church on the South Coast. The church is also notable for the sound of its bells, which inspired the song "The Bells of St. Mary's", originally recorded in 1919 by Frances Alda and later sung by Bing Crosby in a film of the same name.