St Michael's and All Angels Lambourn

The church building of St Michael and All Angels has stood at the centre of the village and has been the focal point of Christian worship in this part of the Lambourn Valley for over nine centuries and we know that Christians worshipped regularly here for several centuries before that.

Our vision is to ensure that our building and its regular worshippers continue to offer a welcome and hospitality to all who visit it. To that end we have recently installed toilets and a servery, making it more user friendly for those who come into the building for services, concerts and other social events. We also seek to serve the community through our pastoral care team, St Michael’s Care.

Our worship is mainly Eucharistic, enhanced by the music of our excellent organ, organist and choir. On the third Sunday of the month our Family Service offers a simpler and shorter service suitable for all ages. We gather for refreshments after all main services.

We value our links with Lambourn C of E Primary School through Foundation Governors, clergy input into school assemblies and regular visits by pupils to the church for worship.

We welcome the opportunity to serve you and your family in marking the most significant moments of life through baptisms, weddings and funerals.

East Garston: All Saints

All Saints' Church, East Garston

Eastbury: St James The Greater

The population of the village of Eastbury is currently around 265 and Eastbury is a typical downland village in the Lambourn Valley of the Racehorse.

At the heart of the village stands the church of St. James the Greater which was built in the mid 1850’s and designed by the English architect George Edmund Street. The church was commissioned by Robert Milman, the vicar of Lambourn at the time, and the majority of the cost was met from Milman’s private fortune. According to the publication “Eastbury: A Berkshire Village” 2003, he attended with great care to those employed in the stable yards. He later became Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan India. The basic church is much the same as originally planned by Street and little has changed over the years. However, of great interest is a window that attracts many visitors to the church, dedicated to the memory of the Anglo-Welsh war poet, Edward Thomas and his wife, Helen. This window is a modern, plain glass window beautifully engraved by Laurence Whistler in 1971.

Major improvements were completed in 2015 and we owe grateful thanks to all who have supported us, in particular the Greenham Common Trust, the National Churches Trust, the Fred and Marjorie Sainsbury Charitable Tust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Sackler Trust and the Racing Foundation. We have also received very generous donations from others, including private donors. These works consist of the installation of a new heater in a planned extension, together with W.C. facilities and a mini-kitchen so that refreshments can be served after church services, community meetings and social events.

In 2022, St. James the Greater became an A Rocha UK EcoChurch Bronze Award winner and was awarded EcoChurch Silver in 2023. Also in 2023 the church completed its energy audit to provide a pathway to energy efficiency and net-zero carbon by 2030. For more information on how we are responding to the environmental crisis facing our planet please click on this link.

St. James’s Church offers not only worship under our vicar, Julie Mintern but also a peaceful retreat, companionship, a Sunday School for children and support to all. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to anyone at any time.