Twyford
St. Mary's Church

The medieval chapel at Twyford was apparently dedicated to St. Swithun. It was then a part of the parish of Hurst. The chapel burnt down in 1710, but was soon replaced with one built as part of the Polehampton Charity. A rich Twyford-born London merchant, Edward Polehampton left a large sum of money in 1721 to build a school, a chapel and a house for the chaplain in the village. The chaplain was to teach ten poor boys and to preach to the locals every morning and afternoon. This was closed when the present church, dedicated to St. Mary, was built in 1847. Twyford became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1876 and a civil parish in 1895. The church was given considerable extensions in the 1880s and in 1908-10, including the impressive tower.

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