St Mary’s Church

For this month’s edition of ‘My Town’ I was asked to photograph St Mary’s Church in Bideford. Having previously visited the church to attend a funeral I was unable to concentrate fully on the wonderful architecture and interior that this house of god provides.

Walking into the church I was immediately entranced by the sheer beauty that the building radiated. I was attracted by the wonderfully wooden carved doors and ornate stonework and the uniformed pews with all the textures and bright colours in the kneeling cushions . I saw how modern etched glass has amalgamated exquisitely with more traditional pieces and is extremely gratifying to the eye.

Narratives drawn from the bible are represented through the striking stained glass windows which enhance this church and when the sun shines the light penetrates the rainbow of colour and illuminates a sense of warmth and peace throughout.

Such wonderful craftsmanship is hard to find but we are lucky to have it in our own town and I feel privileged to have been asked to visit this church and the inspiration it gave me to portray it in its infinite splendour.