The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is certainly one of the largest buildings in the town and district, capable of seating in its present form, which dates from 1907-8, upwards of five hundred worshippers. The earliest church on the site was probably of Norman, or even Saxon, origin, but details of this are lost in the mists of time. It was followed in the mid-thirteenth century by a church in the early English style and it seems certain that the tower dates from this time and formed part of the church buiding, or may possibly have stood separately from it. Successive church rebuildings over the centuries have left only this tower in something like its original form.

The tower has been the subject of much conjecture as to its age and purpose. It is certainly a very solid structure with walls at its base some five feet thick, and this lends some support to the theory that it had a defensive purpose. The flight of stone steps on the North side were a late replacement, so it is said, of a ladder which could be drawn up into the tower when required, and this adds further weight to the theory.

Picture, then, the scene in the Middle Ages; the medieval church with a tower lower than at present - the mill and its pond to the west - a jumble of stone-built cottages and fishermen's huts - water meadows and low-lying, marshy ground to the east where the shopping streets now are. Swanwich, a place little frequented, off the beaten track, of so humble a status that the church here was only a chapel-of-ease to the main church of Worth Matravers, from whence the Rector of Worth came down the ancient 'Priest's Way' on occasion to preach and to minister to the fishermen and quarriers.

This state of affairs continued until 1487. The list of rectors, displayed near the West end of the Church, throws some light on the eventual change of status. The first entry on the list gives, "Henry Terry, Rector of Worth", but further on we find "1408 - 1414, William Talbot, Rector of Worth and Chaplery of Swanage", and eventually the following appears, "1487 - 1504, John Phelippes, Rector of Swanage alias Worth." Swanage was evidently out growing its parent, probably achieving great importance with the growth of the stone trade and to different modes of transporting it out of Purbeck.

Brune Cockram, Rector of Swanage from 1614 to 1667, held the living through the tumultuous years of the Commonwealth and restoration. he found the church in a bad state of repair and so it was largely rebuilt in the 1620's. An old print at the West end of the church shows the resulting church with a barrel-vaulted roof, large galleries and, on the South wall, a three-decker pulpit. A further storey was added to the tower at this time and the beginnings of a peal of bells hung.

The health-giving properties of the seaside were starting to be recognised in the eighteenth century. Fashion often followed the monarch and this was no exception. Weymouth was becoming fashionable thanks to King George the third who frequently disported himself in the briny, taking morning dips while the band played, 'God Save Great George Our King.' Some of this rubbed off on other seaside places and in Weymouth's humble neighbour, Swanage, better off visitors began to arrive, and even settle, discerning the undeveloped merits of the place. The church, apart from the tower, was again virtually rebuilt in 1859 - 60 in the time of the Revd. Duncan Travers, 'the building rector' as he was known, to accommodate the increasing population. He it was who had the church school built at Herston, and St. Mark's Church alongside it in Bell Street. And why 'Bell" Street? Educationalists will doubtless be familiar with the name of Andrew Bell, who became rector of Swanage from 1801 - 09. freshly returned from India where he had pioneered a teaching system employing monitors, he introduced this 'Madras System' into local schools. By all accounts Bell was an ill-tempered martinet who insisted his orders must be followed to the letter, and one of his aides, Joseph Stickland, reported to Southey, Bell's biographer. " He hammered it in to them like a blacksmith on an anvil!". The success of the experiments led to the formation of the National Society for Promoting the education of the poor in the principles of the Established Church, and the rapid growth of Anglican Church Schools throughout the land.

The expansion of Swanage was rapid, particularly after the opening of the branch line between Wareham and Swanage in 1885, introducing an even greater influx of visitors. In 1890 the then Rector, Mr. Gurney, writing in 'The Church Monthly' called a meeting of parishioners to discuss the problem of how to increase the accommodation in the church to match the ever-increasing population, but concluded that further enlargement would be impractical. However, in 1907-08 a major enlargement took place, making St. Mary's into the large double-naved church one sees today.

St. Mary's, then, must be seen as an Edwardian building, apart from the tower, but the building preserves some interesting features from the past. The south-west window in the Nave, the 'Christmas" window, formed part of the East window of the 1620 church, though the stained glass is of later date. The Vestry window dates from the fifteenth century, again incorporated from the older building. As can be inferred from the straight joint in the stonework, this window occupies what was originally a doorway, probably with double doors, one of the main west entrance of the church.

During World War II the church was badly damaged when a low-flying aircraft dropped a bomb which, passing through the roof and wall of the United Reformed Church, exploded in the nearby burial ground. Extensive repairs had to be carried out to the roof and most of the stained glass replaced with new. Thus the great East window depicting Christ in Glory is a glorious postwar addition, while most recently, thanks to to a most generous benefaction, the strikingly-beautiful 'Creation" was installed just a few years ago above the North gallery.

A brass plate mounted on the South wall of the nave records that the first peal of eight bells was made in 1888. Before this date there were only four bells, the oldest inscribed, 'Thinke on God, I.W. 1594'. two other bells were added when the tower was raised in the 1620's; 'Fear God' and 'Honour the King'. A fourth bell is dated 1764, and in 1888 a further four bells were added as a gift by George Burt and his family. There is a full team of enthusiastic ringers at present.

Swanage has, as might be expected, strong links with the sea and there are several wall monuments which testify to this connection. Two at the West end of the nave are worthy of special mention; one to Swanage's own 'V.C.', Ernest Pitcher, petty officer in charge of the gun's crew on the 'Dunraven', a 'Q' ship in World War I. A much more imposing monument rears above it, - to three members of the Edmonds family who died within four months of each other and all were naval commanders. An adjacent wall tablet records the deaths of two members of the Chapman family, the father in November O.S 1733, and the daughter in May O.S. 1749, - a reminder that Chesterfield's Act in 1751 corrected the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars in England. 'O.S.' signifies 'old style' and the consequent omission of eleven days had been stolen from them! There are several small, but interesting, brasses in the church and these and other features are explained in leaflets available in the church. Leaflets are also available on the organ, a fine recital instrument originally built by Vowles of Bristol. The church has a strong musical tradition with a robed choir.

St Mary's Church had about 30,000 attendances in 1999 and is strongly in use for worship, education, pastoral care and frequent organ recitals and concerts. There are no major changes envisaged to the church in the foreseeable future.

Visitors to the church may notice a small, stone building to the right of the entrance driveway to the Tithe Barn Museum. Presently called the Rectory Classroom, this building was formerly coach house to the Old Rectory and was given to the parish by the 'building rector', the Revd. Duncan Travers. It is currently used for several groups of people in need - Job Club, Blind and Deaf Clubs, Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous Groups. It continues the ancient, caring role of the Church in this community which is, perhaps, best expressed in the delightful little memorial to Nurse Goldsmith, which is to be found on the wall near the font, - the bowl of which is reputedly the largest piece of Purbeck marble ever quarried!

Contributed by Eric Gosney April 2000