Come and help us celebrate
our 850th anniversary!
'Welcome to our church’. People have been saying that since 1175 – and this year we’ll be welcoming more visitors than ever as we celebrate our 850th anniversary. The first big event is on Sunday May 11th, when an ensemble from the renowned CK Gospel Choir will perform in the church grounds. It's sure to be a great afternoon, starting at 4pm.
They’re based in London and have entertained audiences on TV and all over Europe with their unique blend of close harmonies and 'Gospel Fusion'. The choir was founded in 2007 by Harlano Weekes who aimed to create something that was true to his gospel roots but that was also different, new and exciting.
Tickets are £20 per adult, £10 for children aged 5 to 18. There will be a cash bar. All proceeds go to St Michael's. Tickets available online via the link below or from Sue Proctor, Church Warden at churchwardens@winchcombeparish.org.uk.
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.
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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.
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