We are a group of six parishes in the south-west of England, part of the Diocese of Gloucester in the Church of England. Our parishes are on the edge of the Cotswold hills in Gloucestershire between Stroud, Gloucester and Cheltenham. Our churches are in the villages of Harescombe, Edge, Pitchcombe, Painswick, Cranham and Sheepscombe. Our group also includes the village of Brookthorpe.
View benefice homepageOur church building sits on the hill by Cranham Common, overlooking Cranham Woods and the most westerly valley of the Cotswolds. Up the road is our Church of England Primary School, and the pub and village hall are 400 meters down the road. The Church is open during the day and a Churchyard plan is available on request for visitors and researchers. The Church plays a central role in the life of the village.
There are two services a month at Edge; a 3 Parish communion service on the first Sunday of the month, where we are joined by other parishioners from Pitchcombe and Harescombe, and a Family or themed service on the fourth Sunday of the month. Our services are friendly and you will not be expected to dress formally. We have a small kitchen at the back of the church, so we can enjoy plenty of coffee, tea and cakes or more seasonal refreshments together after services. Our services combine the traditional and the informal as we strive to be inclusive and community minded. As our vicar will tell you things are always a little different in Edge!
The usual traditional services such as Easter, Harvest, Remembrance Day and Christmas are all celebrated in usual Edge style!
We hold regular prayer services on the first Monday of the month at 9.30am usually for half an hour. If you would like us to pray for anyone, please let us know.
You are also very welcome to join us for our informal monthly Benefice prayer meeting at 9.30am, these are usually on a Friday but dates vary and are displayed monthly on the church notice board.
At the moment we can only open the church on days when we hold services but we are hoping to fit a timed lock on the door to improve access.
Harescombe is a small village, and stretches steeply down from the Cotswold edge. The parish church is situated in the lower end of the parish; The Ecclesiastical Parish is of Harescombe with Brookthorpe, formed some years ago when St Swithun’s Church Brookthorpe was closed for regular worship. The PCC is made up from regular worshippers who live in either Harescombe or Brookthorpe. The church may only have a small regular congregation but its importance to the community can be measured by the fact that all important occasions will see the small church filled to capacity. In a community where three families have been farming the area since the mid nineteenth century we have been happy to embrace the new services introduced within our liturgy.
St Mary's Church Painswick
Pitchcombe Church was built in 1819 by subscription, and stands on the site of a former Church known as the Pitchcombe Cradle which was built in 1376. The present church bell is thought to date from somewhere between 1350 and 1380. We have a small but friendly congregation and worship is regular.
St John's is the Parish Church of Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire and is part of the Beacon Benefice. The building dates to 1820 with various subsequent modifications. Our church meets primarily to worship God, pray together, learn from the bible and encourage each other. We are a friendly welcoming church mostly composed of village residents. We seek to be for everyone in the village. Visitors and those who just want to explore the Christian faith are very welcome. We believe Christianity is just as vital and relevant today as 2000 years ago when Christ was on earth. Do come and try us out!