About Us

St Mary’s is the parish church for Heworth, Pelaw, Bill Quay and Wardley, to the east of Gateshead (just opposite Heworth Metro). We are a lively and loving community committed to the gospel of Jesus. We stand in the central and liberal tradition of Anglican worship and life. Through pastoral care and mission projects, we seek to reflect the compassion of Jesus for people of all ages, abilities, and sexualities. We work and pray for God’s justice to be known and enjoyed by all people and welcome visitors and newcomers alike. We would love for you to join us in worship, fellowship or action.

Because of the nature of family tradition and love for this church, we receive many requests for baptisms and weddings at St Mary's. The Church of England has some guidelines about what services can take place where, but we will do our best to accommodate all who wish to recognise a significant event in their lives in the sight of God in this place. Please don't hesitate to contact us and talk through your options.

St Mary's has an extensive churchyard, with many family graves and some listed graves (such as the photographers' favourite the four-poster bed Haddon tomb), also a number of servicemen's memorials and the memorial to the 92 men and boys who died in the Felling pit disaster of 1812. We often receive enquiries about graves in the churchyard which we ourselves are not always placed to answer, but we will give whatever guidance we can. Only current burial records are held at the church, historic records are lodged with the Durham County Record Office.