Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When was the church built?
A. Possibly about 1175 - in the Norman period, although there may have been an Anglo- Saxon building on the site before that. The doorway to the Tower is typical of the Anglo- Saxon period.

Q. What hymn book or service book do you use?
A. Mainly Ancient and Modern Revised but we do use other hymns as and when they fit in with the type of service.

Q. Which Bible do you use?
A. We have the New International Version.

Q. Is this a Baptist Church?
A. No. It is Church of England (Anglican). There is a Baptist Church in Witney Street.

Q. Is this a Roman Catholic Church?
A. Not nowadays. It was built as a Catholic Church and remained so until the Reformation. The present Roman Catholic Church is at the top of the hill.

Q. Which is the oldest grave?
A. Outside in the churchyard, the flat top tomb to the left of the south porch door has the date 1605.  Inside the church the 1435 memorial to John and Alice Spicer is in the nave. In the churchyard towards the Lawrence Lane Gate are two large stone troughs: one is 12th century, the other is a Roman coffin from the 4th Century.

Q. Who made the kneelers and when.
A. They were made for the Millennium. Anyone in the town could make one. We stipulated the size and background colour and each person did their own design.