Your donation will help to preserve St Mary the Virgin, one of the finest and most important historic churches in Derbyshire.

The risk to the historic church

St Mary's needs to repair the roof to keep the church as an important historic building, community space and place of worship. The roof is letting in water and we have replaced the nave roof, but lots more Is still to do. Any contribution you can make will help with this work.

Why St Mary's matters

St Mary’s is listed Grade I and is formally recognised as ‘A Major Church’. It stands at the heart of the historic market town of Wirksworth, in a quiet circular churchyard like a cathedral close. The church was founded in the 7th century AD, and is one of the most important Anglo-Saxon churches in Derbyshire.

St Mary's is a place of worship and you can find out more about the ministry here - Wirksworth Team Ministry.

The town’s main annual celebrations originate from church traditions of well dressing in May and clypping in September. Clypping is an ancient custom where the church is entirely ringed by people joining together holding hands to embrace it. This symbolic community event marks the beginning of the annual arts festival, when the building becomes a major venue for art displays, music and drama.

In addition to its primary function as a place of Christian worship and a place for the milestone life-events of baptisms, marriages and funerals, it hosts many community events including winter weekly lunches, a summer children’s holiday club, food bank, orchestral and choral concerts, organ recitals, theatre, Christmas Tree Festival, exhibitions, illustrated talks and interpretive tours.

St Mary’s is a beautiful building and home to stained-glass windows, ancient carvings – including the unique T’Owd Man (the oldest depiction of a lead miner in the world) and the ornately decorated Anglo-Saxon Wirksworth Stone, thought to have been the top of a tomb - tombs of knights, the war memorial and the flag of the Wirksworth Volunteers, formed in 1798 to resist an invasion by Napoleon.

What your donation will help with

Repairing the roof is an expensive job. The nave roof cost over £100,000 to fix, using re-melted lead from the damaged roof. We have worked to make sure the roof is watertight before winter sets in. The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Longcliffe Quarry and the church are providing 90% of the money needed. We hope you will help raise the remaining money required, to ensure our heritage, community space and place of worship is protected.