St Mary the Virgin and All Saints, Potters Bar - About Us

Patron : The Lord Bishop of London

The Parish Setting

The parish of St Mary the Virgin & All Saints, Potters Bar lies on the southern boundary of the St Albans Diocese and covers the central and eastern half of the town. The parish population, according to the 2001 census, is 12,183. 25% of the population is aged 60 and over (considerably higher than the average for the borough of Hertsmere). 63% of the population are in employment and unemployment is low (2%). 16% are retired, higher than the Hertsmere average of 12%. 89% of households in the parish are owner-occupied. Only 5% of residents adhere to other faiths.

Lying close to the M25, M1 and A1(M), Potters Bar has excellent road and rail links which make it an attractive residential locality for many professional people, tradespeople and office workers, many of whom commute to London and elsewhere. As has already been noted, many people retire here and there are several residential homes and sheltered housing developments for the elderly with resident wardens (with the prospect of more developments of a similar nature in the future). However, there are also a large number of young families in the town with four primary schools and one preparatory school in the parish. All types of housing are represented, from large detached houses to two sizeable estates built as council property which are now largely owner-occupied houses and flats, with some rented through housing associations. There is little industry in the parish but there are two shopping centres and several large office developments. The community hospital is situated within the parish, as are police and fire stations. There are two large supermarkets, a bus garage, library and health centres, sports facilities and an abundance of restaurants! The railway station is close at hand – with a 15-minute journey to Kings Cross. The town is served by the Wyllyotts Centre for local theatre and cultural activities.

The Church

The parish of Potters Bar was created in 1835 out of the parish of South Mymms and until 1915 was served by St John’s Church, which stood on the present site of the War Memorial in the High Street. St Mary’s Church was consecrated that year, though the west end was not completed until 1967. A large building in the Gothic style, it seats 250 comfortably and is generally in excellent order. There is a parish office and meeting rooms at the west end of the church, and a parish hall and Scout Hut on the same site.

A large programme of external repairs and refurbishment has started recently, involving both the church and the hall. Further work is planned for the church hall, to upgrade the interior of the building, and a major fundraising campaign is to begin shortly. The interior of the church has benefited greatly from the recent acquisition of new chairs, purchased from Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Mutton Lane, and we hope to refurbish the church floor to further enhance the appearance of the building. The “chairs and floor” project has been funded through donations from church members. Work has also started on modifications to the toilet facilities in the church, to ensure they comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

We are particularly grateful for the fundraising efforts of the Friends of St Mary’s in recent years, which has enabled us to refurbish the rooms at the west end of the church and undertake other minor fabric projects.