Local Churches

St Mary’s Church

St Mary’s Church lies at the heart of a small Bedfordshire village in an area known as Marston Vale. Up until the early 21st Century this area was famous for brick making. Established in the 19th Century, this industry lasted for over a century. Now it is seen as a place of population development and as the site of the Millennium Park. This latter establishment is the central focus of a developing community forest, where native woodland is being re-established in what was once a scarred area, due to the extraction of the valuable clay deposits. Artificial boating lakes have been developed over the years as a way of filling in clay pits and making an area of beauty for recreational purposes. This aim to beautify continues to the present day. Against this background, the ancient church of St. Mary’s Marston Moreteyne has watched over the changing face of the Vale since the mid-fifteenth century. Evidence exists that there was probably an earlier church on the site, which may have been established in Anglo Saxon times.

The unusual detached tower of the church, with its thick walls at the base, suggest that this was once a watchtower, or a place of refuge in times of strife. There is a theory that it may have been used to protect villagers from the pillage of the Vikings, whose long ships may have sailed as far as Bedford on the River Ouse. We will probably never the know the truth of this … but it makes for a good story!

Inside the church, from Medieval times, parts of a painted ‘Rood Screen’ and fragments of old glass can be seen. Other interesting features are the Font and the carved roof with its angels, one of which is mysteriously missing. The angels were removed by parishioners to save them from Cromwell’s iconoclastic zeal and all but one of them returned after the Restoration. There are niches where statues of Saints once stood and unusual ‘squints’ cut through the Chancel from the Reynes Chapel through which, it is believed, priests watched the progress of the services in order to be ‘on cue’ for entry. An alternative suggestion for these openings was for lepers or other ‘undesirables’ to stand to watch the service without causing offence.

St Mary the Virgin Church, as has been stated, is largely 15th Century and contains ‘treasures’ from that period, notably the ‘Doom’ painting which can be seen above the Chancel Arch. This was known to have existed, even though it remained covered until the 1960’s, when a team from the Victoria and Albert Museum revealed what had been concealed for centuries. A ‘Doom’ painting shows the Last Judgement and the separation of the souls, when Christ returns. Marston’s ‘Doom’, is arguably the best in the County (where very few examples exist) and among the finest in the Country from the point of view of their preservation.

Vale Community Church

VALE’S BEGINNINGS:

We began as a small group of people who sensed God calling us to plant something new in Marston Moretaine — not a building-first church, but a community that meets people where they are. From a Sunday gathering to a free community meal, from Messy Church to conversations in the pub, we’ve watched God grow something real.

Today we’re a church of around 40 on a Sunday, reaching hundreds more across the week through The Table, Messy Church, Storytellers in our local school, and seasonal celebrations. We’re led bi-vocationally by pioneer ministers, and we’re only just getting started.

Vale Community Church is a warm, hopeful community in the heart of Marston Moretaine, trying to follow Jesus and love our village well. We’re a Baptist church and a registered charity, part of the Central Baptist Association — but more than that, we’re a family of ordinary people who believe you can belong here long before you’ve got faith figured out.

We gather on Sundays, eat together through the week, and try to be church beyond walls — showing up in the everyday places of village life, where God is already at work.