St Mary’s Church, Wilton 209 copy

This 15th century church is located on the Market Place in the centre of Wilton and is the redundant church of St Mary, which is now in the care of Churches Conservation Trust. St Mary’s was built on the site of an earlier church where Robert de Bingham was consecrated.

In 1229. Robert de Bingham went on to succeed Bishop Richard Poore as Bishop of Salisbury and was responsible for completing the construction of the new Salisbury Cathedral started by his predecessor.


During the 9th century the Benedictine convent of Wilton Abbey was attached to St Mary’s Church.  Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent and became one of the most powerful nunneries in Medieval England. The Abbey was built on a substantial site including the site now occupied by Wilton House, the seat of the Earls of Pembroke.

As a result of the construction of a new church in 1845, known as Church of St Mary and St Nicholas to become Wilton’s Parish Church, the old church of of St Mary was partially demolished, apart from the chancel and one bay of the nave. The Abby ruins consist of the three arches of the south arcade and fragments of the north arcade.
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