Thanks to everyone
who helped us celebrate
our 850th anniversary!
'Welcome to our church’. People have been saying that since 1175 – and last year we welcomed more visitors than ever as we celebrated our
850th anniversary. The highlight was a sunny day in May, when
120 people enjoyed a great performance of the renowned
CK Gospel Choir in the church grounds.
%20remove%20bar.jpg)
The concert raided much-needed funds for the upkeep of our historic church. In recent years we have had a new roof and drains, had the windows repaired and part of the church rewired. Thanks to everyone who has contributed. There is now a card machine inside the church and we appreciate every donation, however small.
St Michael’s is a very special place. It’s the oldest and smallest church in the parish, which itself dates back to a Saxon borough. The combination of tranquility and history combine to produce a perfect place for reflection and prayer. It’s impossible to sit on the medieval pews (added a few hundred years after it was built) and look at the chancel arch (now very lopsided!) without wondering about the workmen who built it.
Visitors come to Stanley Pontlarge to visit the church, enjoy the walking and see ‘The Rolt House’, officially known as The Cottage. Learn more about the church architecture here.
The residents of Stanley Pontlarge and the wider area proudly welcome and show St Michael's church off to visitors. The hamlet’s most notable residents, including Tom and Sonia Rolt, who did so much to re-energise the canals and steam railways in the UK, are buried here.
The western hamlets lay in the jurisdiction of Winchcome Abbey, and the eastern settlements were part of the estate of Ralph, the Earl of Hereford, whose descendants built Sudeley Castle. Much of the castle survives today, on the edge of the attractive Saxon market town of Winchcombe, in whose parish St Michael’s now lies.
Over the centuries, people have rallied round, raised the money and restored this tiny church in a Cotswolds farming hamlet. Now it’s our turn.
St Michael's needs your help. Please donate whatever you can, however small, to The Friends of St Michael's by clicking the 'Donate' button below. We really appreciate it. Thank you.