ST MARY’S Church, high on its hill above the town, is an architectural gem.

Pevsner, the noted expert on England’s buildings, judged it, “Arguably the most important 19th century church in Hampshire. The exterior is impressive enough — the interior is sensational.”

‘Pillars of the Church: Building a New Parish Church in Andover, 1840-9’, a new book by local author Martin Coppen, celebrates Andover’s most important public building by telling the eventful story of its beginning. It is also about the town of the early 1840s. The church was entirely the very generous gift of an elderly clergyman, who in his own words, ‘thought to do a kind Act by the Parish.’ Dr Goddard, together with his niece, Martha Gale, were probably the greatest benefactors Andover has ever known, both in building the church and in developing the area around it.

But the project did not run smoothly. The old Norman church had first to be completely demolished—not much loved, until it was gone. With the new structure almost finished, suddenly a pillar collapsed, killing one of the builders, and undermining local confidence in the scheme.

Martin has transcribed in the book many of the over 100 letters of those most involved, which, with contemporary newspaper reports, bring the frustrations vividly to life. The recovery from the crisis was paralysed by the need to find a scapegoat and restore local trust. The appointment of a distinguished London architect to superintend the completion of the building calmed the anger felt in the town, but increased personal friction among the main characters.

In ‘Pillars of the Church’ Martin traces why the church came to be built where and as it is, and reveals brilliant features of its architecture: the early use of cast-iron pillars, and external ‘windows’ which cannot be seen from the inside. It is indeed an ‘ingenious and fervent design’.

A retired vicar himself, Martin is fascinated by the way local clergy in past centuries faced the challenges of their place and time. He now worships at St Mary’s, which he finds an inspiring building in which to pray. He has also written booklets on the impressive monument to Richard Kemis (d.1611) in the church, the monumental inscriptions of old St Mary’s recorded by a visitor in 1819, and ‘Andover’s Norman Church, 1080-1840’, published by Andover History and Archaeology Society.

‘Pillars of the Church’, (123 pages, 21 black and white pictures, 8 colour plates) is available at £8 from Andover Museum, with all commission from sales there going to support the Hampshire Cultural Trust, the charity which runs the Museum. The Museum is open Tuesday – Friday, 10.00am—5.00pm; Saturday, 10.00am—4.00pm. St Mary’s has an open morning for visitors every Saturday, 10.30am until 12.30pm.