About Us

Bourton-on-the-Hill is a small Cotswold Village set above the Evenlode Valley, situated between Blockley and Moreton-in-Marsh on the Heart of England Way. Although we are a small community of approximately 300 people, we are lucky to be surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and places of interest such as the Batsford Arboretum, the Cotswold Falconry Centre, Sezincote House and Bourton House & Gardens.

ALL ARE WELCOME

St Lawrence is home to a small and friendly worshipping community. The church shares its team vicar with the neighboroughing parishes of Blockley with Aston Magna, and Ebrington and is on the eastern side of the Vale and Cotswold Edge benefice. As a congregation, we do our very best to make everyone feel welcome. We do not expect anybody to know the words of a service off by heart - we have written orders of service to help! Nor do we expect you to know when to sit, stand or kneel. People are welcome to join in as much or as little as they wish. As the result of our coming together from diverse Christian traditions, we would describe our faith as middle of the road Anglican. 

Regular services are held in church and we have a home group that meets up occasionally especially around particular times and seasons or we can join with fellow Christians in Blockley. Most of our services are taken from the "Common Worship" liturgy with hymns. You may want to check our Services and Events page.  

Everything we do is aimed at sharing God’s love and creating cohesion within our community. You might be interested in finding out about the reordering project and how we want to make sure everyone feels welcome in church and around. We believe that every one of us is called by God to carry out a special ministry. 

Our Church Building

… a building of stone, in the Norman and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of three bays, aisles, north and south porches, and an embattled western tower containing a clock placed in 1904, at a cost of £110 and 6 bells…

                                                                                                                                                                                 Kelly's Directory (1923)

St. Lawrence's Church is a beautiful late Norman building and enjoys a spectacular location on the eastern slopes of the Bourton hills with panoramic views over Moreton-in-Marsh, the Evenlode valley and beyond.  

The original church was completed in 1157AD, although little of the original church remains, and since then it has seen regular alteration and extension.  It was originally dedicated to St Mary, but during the 15th century its dedication was changed to St Lawrence.  It is a Grade 1 listed building, open during daylight hours for quiet and prayer. The churchyard and gardens are always open and you are welcome to enjoy the peace, and find God in the beauty around you. More detailed information on the building can be found on the Historic England website. 

The tower houses a clock installed in 1904 to replace the one that had existed since at least 1686, and is renowned for keeping excellent time. There is a wonderful peal of six bells which date from between 1677 and 1873. They were re-hung in 1974 on the original frame, which is said to be amongst the oldest in the country. At the moment St Lawrence does not have its own team of ringers but the bells are rung quite frequently by visiting teams from around the country.

The whole of the parish lies on high ground, hence the suffix 'on-the-Hill', which was used from the 15th century (probably to distinguish it from Bourton-on-the-Water. Thanks to the efforts of a small group of volunteers from the congregation and beyond, the church is open for visitors every day from around 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.