St Mary's Church, Shipley
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| Church of St Mary | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
 Church of St Mary | |
| 50°59′03.48″N 0°22′12.97″W / 50.9843000°N 0.3702694°W | |
| OS grid reference | TQ 144 218 |
| Location | Shipley, West Sussex |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 22 September 1959 |
| Completed | c. 1140 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Chichester |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church in the village of Shipley, in West Sussex, England. It is in the Diocese of Chichester.[1] Built in the mid 12th century by the Knights Templar, it is a Grade I listed building.[2] The current vicar is the Rev. Christopher Allen.[3]
There was a church here by around 1080, but no details are known. Philip de Harcourt, Dean of Lincoln, granted the church about 1139 to the Knights Templar; it was one of their earliest endowments in England. The present building, one of the earliest Templar buildings in England, dates from about this time.[4] The site of Shipley Preceptory, where the Knights Templar lived, is thought to have been the southern part of the churchyard.[5]
After the suppression of the Templars it passed to the Knights Hospitaller. The dedication to St Mary is recorded from 1456.[4]
