Welcome


Welcome to the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, Frampton on Severn  in Gloucestershire.

This beautiful church was consecrated as a church in 1315 AD and has been used for worship ever since.

We are a growing congregation who enjoy worshipping together in a variety of styles. We are linked with the parishes of Arlingham and Fretherne as part of the Severnside Cluster  which is part of the Stroudwater Team of 15 parishes.

The church is open daily for prayer and quiet reflection.  We welcome visitors throughout the year.

Although there were probably earlier churches on the site, the first records of clergy in Frampton date from 1228, however the church was not consecrated until 1315.  It is believed that the main door dates from this period:  it is oak with the imprint of the skins that originally covered it and the antique lock and enormous key are still in daily use.  Over the porch is the 18th century parvise chamber, to which there is no longer access.  The oldest part of the present day church in Frampton is the Romanesque  font dating from the second half of the 12th century.

As you look round the church, notice the beautiful stained glass windows, the most ancient fragments being in the North aisle and N. aisle chapel including a triangular piece with an angel swinging a censer; notice too the effigies in recesses along the walls of the North aisle and chapel, said to be 14th century Clifford knight and his lady, and the Jacobean pulpit inscribed with the names of the churchwardens of that time.

The organ was built in 1866 by JW Walker & Sons.  Costing £209 it is said to be of their best period.  The first person to play this was Hubert Parry. On one side of it hangs a Royal coat of arms, showing the lilies of France which dates it to early George III.  An 18th century hatchment bearing the Clifford arms is in the north aisle.

Our church has changed over the centuries and there are still changes to make.  In 2010 the tower was repaired including a new gargoyle; look for the salmon on the south side, reflecting our position by the river.  In 2012 an extension to the churchyard was consecrated and has now been planted with local varieties of fruit trees.  A kitchen area and toilet were completed in 2015 and we are hoping to raise sufficient funds to make the parvise chamber accessible again.

We also hold  morning prayers to complement our Sunday worship on the first, third and fifth Thursdays each month.  They are held in the Lady Chapel, St Mary’s Church at 9.45am.

We enjoy close links with Lakefield School as a voluntary controlled Church of England School.  Church members and clergy regularly visit the school for morning worship.  The school also holds special services in the Church.