St Mary's Church, Southampton
Saint Mary's Church, is the civic church for the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England. Originally founded in circa 634, St Mary's has been the mother church of Southampton since its inception. The present building, now the sixth incarnation of a church on this site, dates mostly to a rebuilding from 1954 to 1956, following its destruction in the Southampton Blitz, except for the notable Grade II listed tower and spire, which date from 1912 to 1914.
Saint Mary's Church from the southeast, showing the older tower and spire with the rebuilt body of the church
The reverse of the Brideoake memorial death medal 1743 by Dassier showing the new Church in 1722
The church in circa 1790
The church in circa 1900, with only the lower stage of the tower completed
The Southampton Blitz was the heavy bombing of Southampton by the Nazi German Luftwaffe during World War II. Southampton was a strategic bombing target for the Luftwaffe as it contained both busy docks with associated business premises and factories and the Supermarine factory building Spitfires in Woolston. Being a large port city on the south coast it was within easy reach of German airfields in France.
Damage in Southampton following the Blitz
