St. Mary's is one of very few churches built in England during the reign of George I. It was constructed in 1723 to replace the Lady Chapel of Kingswood Abbey, where the people of Kingswood had worshipped since the Dissolution and which had fallen into disrepair. The adjacent Abbey Gatehouse is a national monument, administered by English Heritage.

The church contains an early 18th century font, a fine George I coat of arms in oil on canvas, a magnificent contemporary chandelier, stained glass from Kingswood Abbey and a pipe organ by William Sweetland of Bath, still with its original tracker action. Both church and churchyard contain memorials which predate the church.

Fundraising by Friends of St. Mary's has helped finance the restoration and refurbishment of the transept  to form St. Mary's Room, a community resource in frequent use  for meetings, celebrations and all kinds of activities (details and hire charges on request). The transept remains part of the church and the screen can be opened to accommodate larger congregations and the popular Music at St. Mary's concerts.

Friends of St. Mary's invite anyone with Kingswood connections to sponsor the redecoration of one square of the church ceiling. For £50 sponsors can dedicate a square to a special person, event or place in their lives. A permanent record of dedications and donors will be displayed in the church. If you are interested, please contact patricia@hospitalum.plus.com   for details. St. Mary's cards, a Kingswood tea towel, notelets and signed, limited edition prints are also available.

In 2009 partial funding was obtained from The Georgian Group and other organisations to meet the cost of restoring and cleaning the George I armorial and its original carved and gilded frame, which now hangs in St. Mary's Room.

Friends of St. Mary's organise many community events throughout the year, including:

Light Lunches: 12:00-14:00 on the last Thursday of the month.
Afternoon teas on Friday afternoons, 15:00 - 16:00 during term time.
Corner House Teas on occasional Saturdays throughout the year.

The church has an enthusiastic choir which welcomes new recruits, whether soprano, alto, tenor or bass.

Family history: Registers are held at Gloucestershire Archives: 01452 425295 www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/familyhistory
For further information contact Patricia Hammond 01453 845204 patricia@hospitalum.plus.com  

St. Mary's is part of the United Benefice of Wickwar with Rangeworthy and Hillesley and Charfield with Kingswood. Parish Priest the Rev'd David Russell.

Load map in Google Maps