St Mary the Virgin Church, Turville

St Mary the Virgin stands beside the village green in Turville, Buckinghamshire. The village name is Anglo-Saxon in origin and is commonly interpreted as “dry field.” In 796, Ecgfrith, king of Mercia and son of Offa, granted ten hides at Turville to St Albans Abbey. The surviving church developed centuries later; its 12th-century nave is the oldest part of the present building.

The Grade II*-listed parish church records several phases of construction. The chancel is largely 14th century, while the west tower was rebuilt in the early 16th century. Most of the exterior is flint with stone dressings, with a rendered chancel and a brick north aisle. The north aisle, dated 1733, contains a marble monument to members of the Perry family. A vestry was added in 1900. Surviving interior features include a medieval font, a 15th-century carved wooden panel, 16th- and 17th-century pews, and heraldic stained glass.

A 1975 lunette window, designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens and David Wasley, commemorates St Saviour’s Church at Turville Heath, deconsecrated in 1972. The tower now contains a ring of six bells, expanded from three to five in 1996–97 and to six in 2018. The surrounding churchyard contains weathered headstones and memorial crosses documented in the 2009 photographs. The church exterior also served as the parish church in The Vicar of Dibley.

Developments Since the Photographs Were Taken

A restoration completed in 2024 included lime-mortar re-rendering of the chancel, replacement of the tower’s lead roof, and refurbishment of the porch.