St. Mary's Church, Nottingham, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

St Mary's Church is the largest medieval church in Nottingham, standing on High Pavement at the edge of the Lace Market. It is the city's oldest religious foundation, and it earns a place in Robin Hood lore because a 15th-century ballad names a Nottingham church of St Mary where the outlaw goes to hear mass.

The story behind it

Worship has taken place on this ridge for a very long time, and the building you see today is mostly a late medieval rebuild in the Perpendicular Gothic style. Its size reflects how wealthy and important Nottingham was in those centuries.

The church also appears in the Robin Hood story. Many tales of the outlaw were first told in ballads, and one of the oldest surviving ones, Robin Hood and the Monk, dates from around 1450. In it Robin goes into Nottingham to attend mass at St Mary's, which tells us the church was familiar enough to be used as a setting. The legend that Robin honoured the Virgin Mary comes from the ballads rather than from any record of a real man.

Maid Marian arrived later. She does not appear in the earliest tales and is usually dated to around the 16th century, probably growing out of May Day festivities before she was attached to the Robin Hood legend. Some writers suggest her name echoes Mary, linking her to the outlaw's devotion, though that remains a theory.

What to look for

• The broad, battlemented tower and the large traceried windows are typical of Perpendicular Gothic, and they show how grand the church was meant to look above the town.
• The church stands on higher ground, so look at how it rises above High Pavement and the Lace Market streets around it.
• If you can go inside, look up at the tall, light-filled nave and the stained glass, which includes many Victorian windows.
• Look at the surrounding Lace Market buildings, whose red brick warehouses show how Nottingham's later lace trade wrapped itself around this far older site.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the exterior and the churchyard, and longer if the church is open and you want to look inside. Check current opening hours before you go.
• Morning and late afternoon light is kind to the stonework, and the streets are usually quieter earlier in the day.
• It is a working church, so be respectful if a service or event is taking place.
• The Lace Market, Nottingham's historic centre and many of its bars and cafes are all a short walk away, so it fits easily into a wider stroll.

See it on a quest

Maid Marian's Nottingham: Finding Robin Hood passes St Mary's as one stop on a longer walk through the city. You reach the church on foot, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you can actually see. It suits anyone who wants the Robin Hood legend explained at the spots where it is told. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.