The 19th Century
St Giles church served the parishes of Wolverton and Calverton for almost two centuries, following the Stony Stratford fire of 1742, which destroyed the church of St Mary Magdalene.
In 1864, a design of the architect George Gilbert Scott was used to build another church for Stony Stratford. The church was built in gothic style and named St Mary the Virgin. It was located on the London Road. The growth of Wolverton as a new railway town had dictated the need for additional church premises and a change to the ancient boundaries. A vicarage, two curates houses and a parish hall were also built as part of the project.

In 1870, a new parish known as Wolverton St Mary was delineated to cover this end of town.
The priests of St Mary the Virgin parish were supporters of the Tractarian movement in the Church of England, which sought to restore catholic belief and practice. Some of the priests were persecuted for what was regarded as 'ritual offences.' The traditions of both churches in Stony Stratford were similar and increasingly the two priests worked closely together.
St Mary the Virgin church
The Parish Hall
1876 - 1878

A further building project was carried out by E. Swinfen Harris during this period to restore the church of St Giles. This included the installation of a gothic screen across the chancel arch. Also the windows received new tracery at this time.

It is further recorded that during this Victorian era, vestries were built, stained glass memorial windows were installed, the gallery was extended and redecorated and, in the south east corner of the nave, a Lady Chapel was created.
1899 - It is recorded that a visit from the Archdeacon resulted in an unfavourable report on the state of the church building. Words such as 'lamentably decayed, lacking dignity, inconveniently crowded, imperfectly ventilated etc.' Following this, the only recorded change was the replacement of the gothic screen with an oak screen of a simple design.
The oak altar screen inSt Giles