St Mary's Church
Text: Chester City Council
St.Mary's was one of nine medieval parish churches in Chester. It was called St-Mary's-on-the-Hill to distinguish it from the chapel of St. Mary de Castro in the Agricola Tower of Chester Castle. The church was commissioned in the mid 14th century, partly to serve the garrison and staff of the Castle. It is perpendicular in style. The earliest parts are the tower and chancel arches, while the south east chapels date from about 1443 and the nave arcades, clerestry and fine panelled oak roof are about 1500.
The parish of St. Mary was one of the wealthiest in the city as many influential families and prosperous merchants lived in the Lower Bridge Street area. Inside, there are a number of important tombs, including the recumbant effegy of Thomas Gamull who died in 1613, and his wife, and of Phillip Oldfield who died in the same year. There are also monuments commemorating the Randle Holmes family, heraldic painters who lived in a house which is now the Old King's Head in Lower Bridge Street.
Like most other medieval parish churches in Chester, St. Mary's was extensively restored in Victorian times. The architect was James Harrison, son of a local stone mason, who was also responsible for work on St. Michael's Church, Holy Trinity Church and the Music Hall. In 1861-62, he renewed most of the external stonework and raised the original squat tower by over 9m (30 feet), although the tops of the pinnacles have since been removed.
In 1890-02, the north porch was added at the expense of Cheshire Freemasons.
The population expansion of the late 19th century, meant that new parish chuches were built in the rapidly growing suburbs. St. Mary's-Without-the-Walls was built in Handbridge in 1887 and St. Mary's-on-the-Hill became the parish church for the combined city centre parishes of St. Bridget and St. Martin.
In 1972 St. Mary's became redundant although it has never been deconsecrated. It was acquired by Cheshire County Council as an education centre, which closed in the early 1990s.