St. Mary's Church, Brook

About

St Mary's Church, Brook is a parish church in the Church of England located in Brook, Isle of Wight.

History: The current church dates from 1864. It is by the architect Willoughby Mullins and was funded by the wealthy landowner and industrialist Charles Seely MP, whose estate contained the village. There are memorials to the family in the church. St Mary's replaced a 13th Century church destroyed in a fire. The arch from the porch to the nave is all that remains of the mediaeval church. Situated on a knoll just above the village of Brook, St Mary's has been described as "one of the best preserved small Victorian churches in the country." It's "fine interior decorations... remain in beautiful condition." The interior walls were never plastered and this gave according to the architectural critic, Nicholas Pevsner, a "striking" effect. The small tower contains a set of 8 tubular bells. The church, and the village below, have also a close association with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. There were RNLI funded lifeboats in the village of Brook from 1851 through to 1937. The Service Boards for the lifeboats hang in St Mary's, behind the font. The Lifeboats are also commemorated...