Stottesdon Benefice
The Benefice of Stottesdon with Farlow, Cleeton St Mary, Silvington, Sidbury and Middleton Scriven, set in the glorious countryside of south-east Shropshire, with the Clee Hills rising to the south and west, has farming families who have worked the land here for generations. We are also blessed with two lovely Church of England Primary Schools at Stottesdon and Farlow. Six parishes, six churches - all loved and cherished by the people of the parishes, and all active in worship for special occasions and throughout the Church year. Click on the individual churches to see more information about them, and what services and events are going on in this small but very lively group!
Churches in Benefice
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1
Stottesdon: St Mary
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
An ancient church with pre-Norman origins, in a village once the centre of a Hundred, now left behind the mainstream of history in the back lanes of beautiful south Shropshire. There are services here every Sunday and on special occasions, as well as other events, including use by the village primary school. Read on for more information...
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2
Cleeton St Mary: St Mary
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
High up on the side of the Titterstone Clee Hill is the village of Cleeton St Mary. The Victorian church, along with the vicarage, almshouses and school, were all built by Revd George Pardoe of Bitterley, to serve the mining and smallholding communities of this side of the hill. The church is still active, with two services a month, and often visited by passing hill-walkers, who know there are refreshments available inside! A warm and friendly welcome awaits you if you would like to join us for worship.
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3
Middleton Scriven: St John the Baptist
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
Newly-reordered to provide flexible community use, St John the Baptist church has been used for harvest supper, quiz nights, concerts, talks, birthday celebrations - not to mention regular worship, baptisms and a carol service which needed a shoe-horn to get the congregation in! A lovely and lively little church which is at the heart of this small community. Middleton Scriven is one of six parishes making up the Stottesdon Benefice between Bridgnorth and Ludlow.
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4
Sidbury: Holy Trinity
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
A warm welcome awaits all visitors to our beautiful rural church in this tiny village parish. But you may have to ask where it is when you find the village! A green lane runs from the road to the churchyard, a most beautiful way in to this most beautiful little church. Rebuilt after a major fire in the early 20th century, the walls still show the distinctive early Norman herringbone stonework. There is a monthly service held here, as well as celebrations of all the major Christian festivals, and other community events. A lively and well-loved church in a lively community.
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5
Silvington: St Michael
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
A church, a manor house and an old rectory, with some scattered houses round about: Silvington is scarcely a hamlet, let alone a village. But the church is Norman, still in regular use, and one of the few churches in the diocese that can boast a Christmas morning congregation of 150% of the parish population! Silvington is one of the six parishes making up the Stottesdon Benefice.
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6
Farlow: St Giles
Hereford
Churches are now permitted to open for public worship and the churches in the Stottesdon Group will all be opening by stages over the month of August. Keep an eye on the website. All services will be subject to hygiene and distancing precautions, and members of congregations are required by law to wear face coverings for services.
Set at the top of Farlow Bank, above the site of the original mediaeval church, and with stunning views across the farmland to the Brown Clee Hill, the church of St Giles is a work of Victorian Gothic all in one piece. Set next to the village primary school, the church is used by the school and for regular worship by the community. This is one of six churches making up the Stottesdon Benefice in beautiful south-east Shropshire.