St Mary's Church, St Mary's

St Mary's Church, St Mary's is a parish church in the Church of England located in Hugh Town, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, UK. The Church was consecrated on 7 September 1838 and replaced the church at Old Town which was inconvenient for the Hugh Town population and in need of repair.HistoryAugustus Smith although not an architect designed the church and according to a letter, penned by himself to the secretary of the Duchy of Cornwall was very pleased with his architectural skill. Smith laid the foundation stone on 31 October 1836, on a site at the eastern end of Hugh Town on high ground between Carn Thomas and Buzza Hill. Vyvyan (1960) describes the building as ° ... bold rather than pleasing, plain rather than ornate, characteristics which mark the interior also″. King William IV granted £1,500 towards its erection, it was completed in August 1838 and was consecrated on 7 September 1838. The proposed inscription for the church, according to a memorandum in Smith's handwriting was to be ″This Church was erected by the munificence of His Majesty, King William the Fourth, a lasting memorial of his zeal and of his paternal regard for the inhabitants of these Islands.° It actually reads ″In the year of our Lord, 1837, this Church was erected by the munificence of His Majesty King William IV. The same was completed at the expense of Augustus Smith, Esq″.