Maulden Church Repairs and Alterations

Most of the structural history of the church can be found in detail in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 77 of 1998 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part II: Parishes H to R put together by former County Archivist Chris Pickford from numerous sources some held by Bedfordshire Archives and some held elsewhere or published.

In 1726 a faculty was obtained for a monument in the chancel to "the children of Rev. Richard Allyn."  The work led to the blocking up of a small window.  The churchwardens accounts from 1803 and vestry minutes from 1840 record minor repairs and alterations to the church in some detail and show that during the 1830s and 1840s the building was well cared for and in regular use.  Work from this period included the rearrangement of some pews in 1849.

In 1824 additional accommodation was provided by the enlargement of the galleries.  The work also involved some alterations to the church and to the seating.  All the work was designed and executed by John Welch for £110.  An organ was installed by subscription in 1833.  The chancel was restored for the Rev. Charles Ward in 1838.  A plaster from Clophill, John Stevens, fell from the scaffold while working at the church in April 1838.  The heraldry on the new roof included the arms of the Archdeaconry and of Bonney's family.  In 1842 the rector's family presented a new crimson cushion for the pulpit and an altar cloth – both were made from Utrecht velvet.

In the 1850s the church was in good repair but was only partially adapted for the needs of contemporary worship.  The internal arrangements were criticised in an article on the church in the Northampton Mercury of 4th April 1846 by ‘W.A.’ (John Martin, who wrote a series of articles on Bedfordshire churches).  He described the "unpleasant appearance" and the disfigurement of the chancel by some pews "the woodwork of which has been cut into the wall." 

A complete restoration (or virtual rebuilding) was begun in 1858 and an outline scheme by Benjamin Ferrey was adopted by the vestry on 17th April. The rebuilding was in a 14th century style.  The first stone of the new building was laid on 27th July in the same year and the church was reopened on 27th September 1859; the consecration took place on the 11th October 1859.  The work included wall decoration or sgraffito adopted by Ferrey as "an inexpensive method by which plaster may be made ornamental" using methods he had first advocated in 1857.  There are two stained glass windows of 1858-9 by Clayton and Bell, Minton tiles in the chancel, and the new font was carved by Mr Jaquet of Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.  It is octagonal on clustered columns and shows biblical scenes including water and children. The mausoleum was also rebuilt to Ferrey's designs; it had been linked to the church but became a separate structure at this point.

Later work included the replacing the organ in 1870 and 1905, a new tower screen and alterations to the seating in 1876, repairs to the tower and recasting of the bells in 1912, the creation of a new vestry at the west end of the south aisle with a new screen designed by W.D. Caroe and the removal of the font to the west end of the nave in 1912. In 1997 the sgraffito decoration of 1858-9 was restored and repainted.