St Mary-le-More

St Mary-le-More (to give its full title, as opposed to St Mary-the-Less, which also existed in Wallingford in medieval times) is not the oldest of the present churches in our town. There has been a church on this site, however, since Norman times, and we know that it was rebuilt at the end of the 13th century.

The church you now see in the market place was largely rebuilt in 1854 at a cost of £2,400. The last major renewal took place in 2009–10, at a considerably greater cost! The tower was rebuilt in 1653, following serious damage in a thunderstorm, partly re-using stones from Wallingford Castle, demolished a year earlier on the orders of Cromwell. 

The tower holds an 18th century ring of eight bells. Two further bells were added in 2003 in memory of Lady Jill Bradshaw, a bellringer at the church for many years. Further monuments in the church reflect the many benefactors of the town.