St Mary's Church stands high above the old town, just beneath Scarborough Castle. Building commenced in the 12th century, and the chancel was rebuilt about 170 years later. During the siege of Scarborough Castle in the Civil War, the churchyard was used as a base to fire cannons at the castle, with the castle returning fire which resulted in the destruction of almost the entire east end of the church apart from some ruins which still remain. What had been the central tower (at the east end of the present church) collapsed in 1645 and was rebuilt in 1670. At one time there were also two towers at the West end although they were later demolished. The church was rebuilt in the late 17th century and restored in the mid 19th century. The building has a series of stone vaulted side chapels on the south side. The internal walls are almost covered with late 18th century and early 19th-century wall monuments, including one by Roubiliac to Elizabeth Craven. The church has a large graveyard, with tombs mainly of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the grave of Anne Brontë, who died in Scarborough in 1849. Anne's sister Charlotte commissioned a stone to be placed over her grave, with the simple inscription "Here lie the remains of Anne Brontë, daughter of the Revd P. Brontë, Incumbent of Haworth, Yorkshire. She died Aged 28 May 28th 1849". When Charlotte visited the grave three years later, she discovered multiple errors on the headstone and it was remade. However, Anne's age at death was still written as 28 when, in fact, she was 29 when she died. In 2011 a new inscribed plinth was laid by the Brontë Society in front of the eroded headstone. St Mary's has hosted many events and festivals in the interior of the church and the area outside the east end, among the Civil War ruins, may also be suitable as a performance area (see the photo of an outdoor service on the church website)