A visit to St Mary's, Deerhurst and St James the Great, Stoke Orchard organised by the Friends of Gloucester Cathedral.
These two churches provide a vivid contrast with the ‘wool churches’ that the Friends visited in May 2024. The Priory Church of St Mary at Deerhurst is a former Anglo-Saxon monastery, and is still functioning, a museum of styles and treasures from almost every period of English architecture, especially Anglo-Saxon. It is an exceptional survival, the Saxon work evident in the tall narrow nave and the west and east walls. The church has several treasures of Saxon sculpture. On the interior wall of the tower is a relief of a Madonna and Child, dated to the 8th century. The font is also Saxon, reputedly the oldest surviving in England. All in all, Deerhurst is a marvellous survivor, an important and fascinating building, full of interest.
The church of St James the Great in Stoke Orchard dates from the 12th century with some world-renowned wall paintings and a close association with the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It is a remarkable small Norman church and has the earliest and largest mural cycle dedicated to the life and martyrdom of St James to be found in Europe today. The main feature of the church is the remarkable series of wall paintings which cover the walls of the nave.
The two churches together provide a great opportunity to study two local gems and both are well worth a visit. We hope you will join us to visit both churches on 18th September.
10.15 a.m. Coffee, tea and cake
10.45 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. Guided tour of the church, led by Michael Hare
2.00 p.m. Proceed to Church of St James the Great in Stoke Orchard for guided tour
NB: if you have any specific dietary requirements please include details in the 'special requirements' box on the booking form.
Initially we are offering this event to Friends of Gloucester Cathedral and their guests. If places are available we will make them available to non-members; if you are not already a member of the Friends of Gloucester Cathedral, and would like to join, an application form can be found on our website: https://gloucestercathedral.org.uk/support/friends/join