St Mary’s Upton Scudamore
About Our Church
Welcome to St Mary’s Church, a thriving church with a long history in a small village overlooking Warminster, approximately equidistant with Westbury.
St Mary’s is open daily for quiet and prayer.
A ‘Parish and Community Together’ space at the west end of the church was funded by the community of St Mary’s and the Upton Scudamore Community Association, with assistance from the Diocese, the Fudge Trust, the National Churches Trust and the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust. This opened up opportunities for greater use of the building, with monthly coffee mornings, Easter soup lunch, harvest suppers and the choir’s sell-out annual concert to name a few. There are fun days for the children, such as the Teddy Bear Parachute Jump with picnic which this year attracted 3XX people and a visit to nearby Farnicombe Farm at lambing time, complete with tractor rides. The Christmas crib service is renowned with children, adults – and donkey – alike.
Services
We hold a service each week, varying from a village service, 1662 Holy Communion, Iona Prayer and Holy Communion Common Worship.
We are fortunate to have an experienced organist and a choir which sings for family services and festivals.
Find Us
5 St Mary’s Court, Upton Scudamore, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 0AQ.
We do not have a car park, but you can park near the church which is a public road.
ST MARY’S UPTON SCUDAMORE
5 St Mary’s Court, Upton Scudamore, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 0AQ.
Weddings
If you would like your wedding with us, please get in touch. We can then arrange a meeting with you and discuss your special day. You will need to complete some paperwork, but you will be guided through this process and any questions answered.
Baptisms
If you would like to have a Baptism at St Denys the Minster Church, we will firstly arrange a visit with you to complete the details of the person to be Baptism and godparents. You will usually have a rehearsal prior to the day and on the day you will be greeted by the Reverend taking the service. Please let us know of any hymns, music or readings you like prior to the day.
Funerals
St Aldhelm’s Church will assist where we can with the preparation of any funeral service, and we will work closely with the funeral directors. If you would like to have the service at St Aldhelm’s Church or details of the churchyard, click the button below to get in touch.
Groups at The Minster
Oasis is a regular weekly coffee morning providing a forum for lively discussion. This is on every Tuesday at 10.30am to 11.30am during Term Time.
Rainbows 4.30pm to 5.30pm and Brownies 5.30pm to 7pm every Thursday during Term Time.
Minster Meerkats Parents and Toddlers 10.30am to 11.30am every Thursday during Term Time.
Scrabble Club – Keep an eye on what’s on for updates
Knit and Natter Club – Keep an eye on what’s on for updates
Messy Church is held a number of times a year – Keep an eye on what’s on for updates
The History of St Mary’s Church
As a Grade II listed building, St Mary’s can trace its origins back to the 12th Century although some references claim that the earliest parts are from the 11th. It is certainly set in picturesque grounds immaculately maintained via regular working parties formed by villagers. Some of the graves date back hundreds of years and include many generations of long-standing village families. The three-stage church tower, rebuilt in 1750, has a beautiful, four-sided, gilt clock at the belfry level which a team of volunteers keeps to perfect time. The top is surmounted by a weathercock decorated with gold leaf that sits above battlements. The bell rings on the hour 24/7.
Although the oldest part of the building is the Norman north doorway and font, the church was extensively reordered during the 19th century. Along with the (excellent) Angel Inn, it is a main focal point for the village as there is no village hall.
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