St Cuthbert's Church, Clungunford

People have worshipped at St Cuthberts for more years than we know. Prior to the building we see today, there was an earlier, wooden church which stood on the same site, dedicated to the much loved Anglo Saxon, St Cuthbert, who loved animals and wild countryside. His body is buried in Durham Cathedral which is dedicated to him

The present stone building was begun by the Lord of the Manor, Roger de Halberdine, soon after 1305, unfortunately just before a mini ice age. Nevertheless, the villagers continued building their church for more than 40 years despite such great poverty that they were frequently excused from paying tax. They used stone from quarries, which are still visible in the parish and chancel roof beams from local oaks. Dendrochronological dating shows those trees to have been felled in the winter of 1329-30 and put up straight away. The sandstone windows were bought from a more distant Shropshire quarry and would have been a great expense for the Lord of the Manor.

Earlier glass and decorations were destroyed in the Reformation but the archway for Roger’s tomb remains and 14th Century wooden chest, which held his robes as an Acolite, is still in use in the chancel. The medieval bells, which were originally housed in a turret on the roof, are frequently rung today.

Once completed, probably with help from the Earl of Arundel after the cost had bankrupted Roger de Halberdine, the church was carefully maintained through the centuries by local builders under the direction of the Church Wardens. A fire in the early fifteenth century, caused the side chapel, (the modern Vestry”) to be re-roofed in 1415 but no major alterations were done to the medieval structure until, after 650 years, the Victorians added a stone tower to house the bells.

St Cuthbert's today supports a lively congregation and warmly welcomes both visitors and those wishing to worship with us. 

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What's on

The Quiet Church

Occuring
Every Thursday at for 45 mins
Venue
St Cuthbert's Church, Clungunford
Address
Church Road Clungunford Craven Arms, SY7 0PS, GB

A meditation workshop on Thursday evenings at 5pm, starting on September 7th. The course will be for six weeks and each session will last about forty minutes. Although meditation is something which is used in religious practice, it has physical and psychological benefits which do not require religious belief. If you are seeking to experience calm; to know peace and to understand that ‘all shall be well’ then learning to meditate is a pathway to finding the silence and stillness we need in order to create a space where this can take root. It is suitable for everyone and anyone.
The introductory six-week course will be led by Carole Dixon, who hosts The Quiet Garden near Leintwardine.

For further details, please contact Carole Dixon on [email protected] or by phone on 01547 540685, or Anna Dreda on [email protected] or just turn up.

Churches are now open for private prayer.