Churches of the British Isles

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hungerford Newtown, stands at the north-east corner of the hamlet's central crossroads. It was established here to counter nonconformist preaching. Initial services were held in the village school, but in 1869 funds became available to build a chapel for the school, licensed to carry out only some of the functions of a full parish church. Attendances declined and it closed in 2005. The church is now a private dwelling (seen here in 2004).

The 1851 Census mentions a Wesleyan Methodist Cottage in Hungerford Newtown - the only source regarding this place of worship. Its location is not known, and this photo provides a general view with St Mary on the left (see above). Also a dwelling between services, the cottage could seat thirty and was attended by the minister from Hungerford's Ebenezer Chapel (see links). A dedicated chapel was never opened here, so presumably Hungerford took over.

Holy Trinity Church was sited about ninety-one metres from Denford Park, just north of Hungerford. Designed by Papworth, it was built in 1832 by George Henry Cherry, master of Denford, to serve as a chapel on his lands. It was a brick build, faced externally with stone and plastered internally, and with stone dressings to the windows, doors, and buttresses. In July 1952 the benefices of Denford and Hungerford were united and it became disused. Demolition followed in 1956.

The Church of St Saviour, Eddington, stands on the eastern side of Eddington Hill, immediately south of the parish cemetery. Between 1150-1160 the prior of St Frideswide in Oxford erected a chapel at Eddington, probably outside the parish boundaries due to an agreement with the abbot of Bec. Dedication unknown, it survived in 1331-32 but later disappeared. The present St Saviour's was built 'for the convenience of the northern part of the parish' and was dedicated in 1868.

Its building seems to have been a reaction to the erection of the Methodist Ebenezer Chapel in Hungerford (see links). The land was donated by William Honywood of Chilton Lodge, and the church was built by a local firm. It is in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, using red and white brick to a design by Sir Arthur Blomfield. It seated 250 people but closed about 1956. It was converted into a private dwelling (Church House) in 1977 although the churchyard can be visited.

Three photos on this page kindly contributed by Hungerford Virtual Museum, one by Sam Weller via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and two copyright © Michael Ford & Derek Harper, and reused under a cc licence.