St Mary’s Church, Shaw.
The exterior and graveyard fronting Church Road.
Shaw consists of the delightful settlement of the original village, which has now been absorbed into the town of Newbury. Situated to the north and east, there are many historic buildings, of which this church is one.
St Mary’s Church, Shaw-cum-Donnington, dates back to the 1840s. The then vicar had been on holiday on the Isle of Wight, and saw a church, believed to be Holy Trinity, Cowes, similar to this. Apparently, upon his return, he pulled down the original Saxon building and replaced it with this Norman Revival one!
The chancel (on the far right in this shot) was added in 1878. Hence the different design and materials. The whole of St Mary’s Church, Shaw, is now Grade II listed.
Sadly, the building was locked when I got there, so I was unable to take a look inside. The exterior is very striking. There are two services every Sunday (Matins at 8am, followed by a 10am service), plus a “Messy Church” on the second Saturday of every month.
The light was fading (and the makings of a somewhat feeble sunset in the offing). However, this side of St Mary’s Church, Shaw was catching the last rays of the day, giving a lovely warmth to the stonework.
The somewhat lumpy nature of the clouds in the sky has given some depth to the image. The sky contrasts well against the stone.
Photograph Details:
- Taken: 10 Apr 2017
- Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
- Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
- Focal Length 24mm
- F/3.5
- 1/60 Sec
- ISO 100