St Mary-at-Finchley celebrates National Lottery Open Week and Turner 250!

Come join us at St Mary-at-Finchley for a tour of our Grade II* listed church and churchyard. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to be a part of Finchley’s history. What a fantastic way to celebrate National Lottery Open Week 2025 and Turner 250!

A quote from Philip Mould, famous art curator and presenter of Fake or Fortune?:“The Church and Churchyard Project at St. Mary at Finchley embodies a poignant reclamation of our shared heritage. The planned restoration of the Georgian Sundial, as depicted in the 1793 watercolour by JMW Turner, offers a remarkable opportunity to preserve a remarkably evocative and documented cultural artifact. Such projects are invaluable in keeping our past alive for future generations.”

We will be running tours of our church and churchyard at the following times:

Saturday 15 March 4pm
Monday 17 March 10am and 2pm
Tuesday 18 March 10am and 2pm
Wednesday 19 March 2pm
Thursday 20 March 10am and 2pm
Friday 21 March 10am and 2pm
Saturday 22 March 4pm
Sunday 23 March 2pm

St Mary’s will be working in partnership with the London Borough of Barnet and neighbour Barnet Mencap to revitalise Grade II* St Mary’s, the heart of Finchley Church End Conservation Area, to maximise use of the site and improve physical, cultural and digital access for the community.

The project involves:
- Repair of the leaking roof of the Grade II* listed church and conservation work on seven Grade II listed monuments.
- A community garden as a place of peace and refuge. Use of the garden by Barnet Mencap for horticultural learning and social groups. It will help to develop easy-to-read printed and audio heritage guides.
- A historic footpath will connect seven local schools and link St Mary’s to the Capital Ring and Dollis Valley paths to form a 5-mile circular route.
- Digitisation of the churchyard and burial information will create an interactive map and photographs to give world-wide access to history enthusiasts – the first church in the Diocese of London to take part in the Church of England’s National Burial Survey!
- Republishing heritage literature and images from the 13th century onwards will allow St Mary’s to share its fascinating history so it is accessible locally, nationally and internationally. The churchyard’s monuments include an obelisk monument to Major John Cartwright (“Father of Reform”) and a Georgian sundial which features in a 1793 watercolour of St Mary’s by JMW Turner.

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Category: Community | Local / Community