About Us

The church was paid for by public subscription and opened in 1822. It was designed by Henry Poole our first vicar who had training in architecture. Except for the box pews which were replaced in the late 19th C little has changed in its layout.

Its moment in history came in 1831 when  our churchwarden of the time Edward Machin (who was also the owner of Whitemead Park and Deputy Surveyor of Forest of Dean) was confronted here by Warren James  (who also worshipped here), leader of the local miners who had lost their ancient forest rights because of the Enclosure Acts. Asked to produce proof of their rights James returned with a pickaxe handle! This began the 1831 Forest riots which tore down all the enclosures in the Forest. It all ended badly for the miners and James was sentenced to death, but Machin pleaded for him and the sentence was reduced to penal servitude in Australia, where he died.