Description: 12th Century Grade I listed ruined church. Some say that the ancient monument's decline stems from the removal of its roof in the late 19th century to encourage the use of then new St John's Church. St John's was built by Squire Millington Knowles of Colston Bassett Hall to commemorate the death of his wife and son. As St Mary's is situated some distance out of the village he wanted to build one closer to his home. Consequently, St Mary's roof was removed, because at the time the Church Commissioners would only allow one church per village. The church has remained roofless ever since. The parish council (owners of the church) and specialists from English Heritage agreed that this important ruined church needed to be preserved so £424,000 contributed by English Heritage, the local parish council, the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and local and international donations was used to halt further disrepair, securing it for the local community. (information from www.english-heritage.org.uk)