There is a service of either Morning Prayer or Holy Communion each Sunday at 11 o’clock.
Welcome to Cheltenham Minster. Thank you for visiting us, we hope you enjoy your time here.
You are standing in the oldest building in Cheltenham. Christians have worshipped here for over 800 years. It is the Parish Church for Cheltenham and became a Minster in 2013. “Minster” is an honorary title given to churches of particular importance in England. This guide will lead you on a tour of the church exploring the history as well as helping you think about your own journey of faith.
Cheltenham Minster Visitor Guide
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Although it looks very old, this is a Victorian reproduction of the ancient font. In 1859, when the church was closed for restoration, the original font was moved to the Sun Inn in Cheltenham High Street (now demolished) where it was used as a watering trough for horses.
The font holds the water during a baptism service. It’s near the door to represent setting out on a journey – baptism or christening marks the beginning of a lifelong journey of faith for followers of Jesus.
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The Bible tells us that Jesus enjoyed sharing meals with people. Here we see Jesus having supper with his closest friends, the twelve disciples, on the night before he died on the cross.
During this special Passover meal Jesus blessed bread and wine and told the disciples that these represented his body and his blood. Christians share bread and wine during the Communion service to remind them that Jesus died to save them from sin and death.
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This is the heart of the building. Can you imagine the thousands of people who have walked here for significant moments in their lives? Christenings, weddings, funerals…
Think of how many prayers have been said.
Why not stand still for a moment and feel how peaceful the Minster is.
No wonder so many people have come here over the centuries to spend time with God.
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This window shows Jesus going up into heaven from the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.
The risen Jesus says his final goodbye to his disciples and returns to God his Father. The two angels promise that one day Jesus will return.
Christians are looking forward to the day when Jesus will come back to put right everything that is wrong in the world.
Can you spot the footprints that Jesus has left behind?
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This was originally the porch and doorway into the church. Look at the beautiful ceiling – can you see the intricate patterns that look like stars? This kind of ceiling dates from medieval times – can you imagine how long it must have taken the stonemasons to create this? We can see it as their way of praising God.
“When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars which you have set in place,
what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
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Above the Old Baptistry is a room reached by an external spiral staircase. It’s thought this was originally accommodation for visiting clergy – probably a rather cold and draughty place to stay! From 1729 it housed the Blue Coat School, a charity school for poor children (the pupils wore a blue uniform). The Cheltenham school was first established in the High Street in 1683 after a local benefactor, George Townsend, left £4 annually "for teaching poor children to read and write".
In 1847 the school moved to a building in Devonshire Street; this was converted into housing in 1993.
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The Stars and Stripes flag dates from the Second World War. It was gifted to the church by Lieutenant General John C.H. Lee of the United States Army and his staff who were stationed in Cheltenham during the war and attended services in The Minster.
The second flag is the regimental standard of the 9th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and bears battle honours of the First World War. The battalion was billeted in Cheltenham in the winter of 1914 before going to fight in France and the Balkans.
The banner hanging between them was designed and embroidered for a meeting of church leaders held in Cheltenham in 1928.
As you look at these reminders of war, you might like to say a prayer for peace in the world today.
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This beautiful window looks perfect, but there is a deliberate mistake in the pattern to remind us that only God is perfect.
Can you spot the error? It is in the smallest panes that surround the central eight panels.
In the middle of this window is a lamb pierced with a sword. In the Bible Jesus is described as a lamb that has been sacrificed. It’s a picture that represents the sacrifice Jesus made when he died on the cross so that we could be forgiven for the wrong things we do.
The words in the eight panels surrounding the lamb come from Revelation, the last book of the Bible:
“Worthy is the lamb that was slain, to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength and honour, glory and blessing. Amen” (Revelation chapter 5, verse 12)
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Here you are standing underneath the tower and spire of the church – one of the oldest parts of the building. The top of the spire is 167 feet/51 metres above the floor of the church.
If you look up you can see a circular opening in the ceiling – this is used to get bells into and out of the belfry.
In the tower there are 13 bells. These were cast in 2017. The biggest bell, the tenor, weighs just over a ton. Seven of the old bells dating from 1823 were recycled into the new bells. Traditionally the bells let people know when a service was taking place. They are still rung on a Sunday morning.
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A lectern is a reading desk on which the Bible is placed when it is read aloud during services.
Like this one, they are often in the shape of an eagle with outstretched wings. This is said to represent John, the apostle, one of the four gospel writers.
If we listen, God speaks to us in the Bible.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119 verse 105
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This is the longest memorial in the church. It commemorates Captain Henry Skillicorne who developed Cheltenham as a spa town. He served two periods as Churchwarden. He was also an active member of the Vestry, who assisted the priest in the running of the church.
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Francis Close was appointed minister of St Mary’s in 1826 and served here for 30 years. He was a popular preacher and a noted evangelical and quite a controversial figure. During his time in Cheltenham he founded four churches, four schools and a teacher training college which later became part of the University of Gloucestershire. But he was also a vocal opponent of alcohol, tobacco, the theatre and horse racing! In 1829 his sermon on the evils of horseracing aroused such strong feeling amongst his congregation that the race meeting in 1830 was disrupted. Before the following year’s meeting, the grandstand was burnt to the ground!
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This is the oldest memorial brass in the church and shows effigies of Judge William Greville and his wife Margery. William was a Knight and held the manors and lands of Arle Court in Cheltenham. He died on 11th March 1513 during the reign of Henry VIII. William left property in an endowment which raised 25 shillings a year for the distribution of bread to the poor in today’s money that would be £1,112.
If you look carefully can you see how many sons and daughters William and Margery had?
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This is where the bread and wine are shared during the Communion Service. Jesus told his followers to share bread and wine as a way to remember that he died to rescue us from sin and death.
Look to the right of the table – can you see the small stone basin in the wall? It dates from 1350 and is called a piscina. This is where the cup and plate used at Communion were washed.
Just next to the piscina is a stone bench where the priests could sit and rest during long church services.
Now you’ve come to the end of your tour, perhaps you’d like to take a few moments to sit and rest in the peace and quiet of the prayer chapel. You may like to light a candle, or write a prayer.
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew chapter 11, verse 28
Timeline
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A church existed in Cheltenham and possibly stood where The Minster is today.
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In the Domesday Survey the church in Cheltenham had several priests and 45 acres of land. It was owned by Cirencester Abbey.
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The monks from Cirencester rebuild the church. Their work forms the basis of the current building.
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The side aisles, the north porch and the stonework of the windows were added.
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The Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII saw Cirencester Abbey destroyed. The land The Minster stood on was leased by the Crown to Sir Henry Jerningham who sublet it to a farmer, Thomas Higgs. He was negligent in his care of the church.
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The church was neglected and the Churchwardens reported “the chancel of our church is in ruins and decay.”
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A wealthy London merchant Sir Baptist Hicks bought the land and the right to appoint ministers. He gave the right of appointment to Jesus College Oxford. It stayed with the college until 1812 when it passed to Joseph Pitt. He then sold the right of appointment to Reverend Charles Simeon in 1816 and Simeon’s Trust holds it to this day. Pitt, who developed Pittville Park and the surrounding area, sold most of the church land for building purposes. His heirs sold the chancel and the right to the tithes to a firm of solicitors.
(See 1861)
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A detailed inventory of the church in Cheltenham reported “a fair parsonage house accommodated with outhouses, a large barn, ox house, stables, a large pond, a garden and a little orchard”. There were 224 acres of meadow land too.
Sir Francis Bacon had the lease now and continued to let it to the Higgs family. Although they earned £400 a year from the land, they paid two ministers stipends of only £10 each a year to run the church. The low stipend did not attract ministers of any great learning. An increase was demanded by the Diocese as the people were not being properly cared for or taught. The dispute between the Higgs family and the Diocese lasted 16 years.
Eventually £80 a year each was agreed for the stipend of two clergymen. Robert Walker, one of the existing ministers was asked to leave to make way for a more learned man. He refused to leave and his disagreement with the parishioners was taken all the way to Court of Chancery in London.
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George Whitefield and John Wesley visited Cheltenham. They visited several times and each time they were refused entry to the Parish Church and preached outside to large crowds.
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King George III, Queen Charlotte and three of their daughters visited Cheltenham to take the waters. On the first Sunday the royal party came to worship in the Parish Church the choir was so overawed they were unable to sing. They coped better on the subsequent Sundays of the royal visit. There was no organ in the church and a very good bassoon was obtained to support the choir.
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The Parish Church was now no longer large enough for the growing population of Cheltenham and four more churches were built Holy Trinity, St James’, St John’s and St Paul’s. In three of these churches people either paid an annual subscription or one shilling per seat — that would be £4.75 today. In contrast St Paul’s was built from donations, it was a free church and “the poor would be certain to find a welcome”.
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It was discovered that the vaults under the church were unsanitary, the galleries unsafe and the tower buttresses were cracked. The church was closed. A temporary church of corrugated iron was built where St Matthew’s now stands in Clarence Street. The galleries were removed, the vaults sealed and the floor covered with nine inches of concrete. New pews were put in and the Parish Church reopened for worship in 1861.
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Reverend Edward Walker was the minister and he bought the parish. This meant he became the first Rector of Cheltenham. The congregation was now too large for the building. The temporary church was replaced with St Matthew’s. This was completed in 1879. The Rector Rev’d Canon Bell wanted St Matthew’s to become the Parish Church instead of St Mary’s. He was met with strong opposition and was not able to proceed with this change.
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Sunday 3rd February the Parish Church was designated Cheltenham Minster by the Bishop of Gloucester, Michael Perham. On making the Parish Church a Minster Bishop Michael said “It’s absolutely ideally placed to be at the religious heart of the whole town, not just of its parish.”