about us

We do not know when Christianity first came to Daventry. However, it is awesome and comforting to know that prayer and praise have been offered up on this very site for around 950 years, and possibly for much longer.

We do know there was a church here about the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. This was probably the first church, although there could have been an earlier building. The foundation stone of the present building was laid on 8th April 1752, but the church was not fully completed until 1758. The building was designed by David Hiorne of Warwick, a specialist in the Classical style of architecture who was influenced by James Gibbs who built St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The church is built of local brown ironstone.

The only addition to the exterior of the building is the central porch erected in 1951, and is in keeping with the church. There is a balustrade on all sides, a frequent feature of this style of architecture. The bell part of the tower is similar to St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The building consists of nave, chancel, north and south aisles with galleries on three sides. There were originally three entrances to the church, one leading to the nave and the outer ones via stairs to the galleries.

The pulpit and two clergy stalls are believed to date from 1752. Behind the altar the reredos, painted in 1920, depicts the Resurrection and the archangels Gabriel and Raphael. Above the altar the Venetian window, by Wailes in 1860, shows the Ascension in the centre, and the Magi and the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. The organ console is believed to be the original, which was installed in 1860 by Henry 'Father' Willis. Major restoration work in 1998 fully restored the instrument and renewed the bellows, which were in a state of almost total collapse