About Us

St Mary Magdalene, Wookey Hole is a small Victorian Church built in 1874.  It is in a visible, raised position in the centre of the village, next to the village pub and opposite the car park to Wookey Hole caves, a major Somerset tourist attraction. The Church is open daily between approximatly 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Parish mostly comes within the Mendip Hills A.O.N.B; there is no other place of worship in the Parish.  The Church is fairly small but can seat 100 comfortably.  We hold at least one service every Sunday and have a mixture of Book of Common Prayer, Common Worship and lay led. For an update on services please check the ‘Services and Events’ tab on this page. As is normal with a rural Parish Church we have Funerals, Weddings and Baptisms as required. 

We hold occasional concerts in Church involving other non- Church going villagers in the ‘Wookey Hole Orchestra and Choir’ which was started by members of the congregation.  We also hold a ‘Fete’ every summer in August which is a major village community event.

The village has approximately 230 houses and population of about 500.  Facilities in the village have declined in recent years, the school closed in 1990, the post office, village shop and café in 2011.  We do have a Pub and a social club and regular bus service into Wells.

The PCC and the whole of the congregation is fully committed to the life of the whole of the community, taking care to involve as many people as possible in the life of the Church.  Church member also take leadership roles in many of the existing village organisations and have helped initiate new ones to service the wider community, the Wookey Hole Forum, the monthly lunch club for the elderly and a monthly cinema club to name but three started in the last couple of years.

The Church building is in the Victorian Gothic Early English style, constructed of local ‘Pudding Stone’, Dolomitic Conglomerate with Doulting freestone dressings. 

The layout is of a Nave with a south porch built 1873-4. The tower or spire over the porch was never built.  The Chancel was added in 1876-7 with a vestry on the north side of chancel; this was enlarged in 1922.  There is an organ chamber on the south side which contains the original organ which is in fine working order as demonstrated every Sunday by our vigorous young organist.