Our Churches

St Peter’s is a Grade II listed building in the heart of the conservation area of the village of Freshford. Parts of the church date from the late fifteenth century, and it has a fine peal of six bells. The church can seat approximately 150 - 175 people between the pews and chairs and it is open each day for visitors. The last quinquennial inspection was held in November 2018, which raised no major issues. Across the road from the building is the Old Bakery, which was converted for church use approximately thirty years ago. It is held in trust, by the Diocese of Bath and Wells, for St Peter’s. In 2022, we were finally able to embark on a much-needed renovation project for the church, mainly thanks to the combination of a large donation from the Younghusband Trust in Freshford, generous gifts from other trusts including FLISCA, Friends of Freshford, the Medlock Trust and the Cavaliero Family Trust, private donations and fund-raising which took place over a period of years. Its recent completion means that the building is now suitable for use by the whole community, complete with an access ramp for those with pushchairs or who are physically less able. The renovation work includes a fully accessible toilet and kitchen area. The heating has been replaced by a more efficient system and the building has been fully redecorated with new lighting, including dimmable uplighters and a new audio-visual system and WiFi. Having removed most of the pews and replaced them with chairs, we now have a versatile space which we can flex to accommodate differing requirements, as and when needed. The perennial problems of car parking in Freshford remain, although we do have a designated disabled parking space outside the church entrance. We feel we now have a building fit for the 21st century, and look forward to it being used more widely by the community. Roland Birchby, Steve and Debbie Ashcroft are our Churchwardens for St Peter's. If you wish to contact them please email them on info@flshc.co.uk.

St Mary the Virgin is the village church for Limpley Stoke and is a very beautiful, small, medieval church of Saxon origin with a substantial early 20th century addition; it is listed Grade II*. The church can seat approximately 100 people in chairs and pews. Some years ago, the church was developed internally to include a cloakroom and kitchenette facilities which now allows much greater support for baptisms, weddings, funerals and other events such as fundraising concerts. Externally the Church sits in approximately 1.5 acres of ground with an adjoining car park and including a burial ground. The church is open during daylight hours. Parish Services take place in St Mary’s once a month at 10.30 am. The congregation averages about 35 and includes parishioners from across the three churches. The churchwardens are David Sibley and Trevor Quartermaine and you can contact them on info@flshc.co.uk.

St John’s is in a Conservation Area a short distance from the centre of the village and is Grade II* listed. There is a sizeable walled churchyard and parts of the church date from the 13th and 14th centuries. St John’s can seat about 170 people and is open during daylight hours. It has kitchen and toilet facilities and a small children's area at the back for family activities. At Christmas, our Pop-up Nativity with Carols attracts around 150 people. A local builder advises us on maintenance and the churchyard is looked after by volunteers, with an aim of supporting wildlife. Karen Grattage is our church warden for St John's and you can contact her on info@flshc.co.uk.