Weddings at St. Mary's: 

" We both knew that we wanted a church wedding so instantly picked our local church. We both felt so at home there."  

Windows: 

"The 28 stained glass windows are absolutely stunning, particularly the Great West Window, but also worth studying are the variety of medieval misericords and the tomb of Roger Lygon" 

"Some fascinating stained glass and a convenient bench outside the main entrance"

"A remarkable church with beautiful and extensive stained glass"

The exterior

"The outside of the church includes some fantastic gargoyles as well as the tomb of Tiddles, the church cat!" 

Messy Church 

"Lots of lovely people 

Lots of fun activities

Lots of warm sunshine

Services

" I felt such welcome and warmth on my first service at St.Mary's. It really is a very special place with a warm and giving congregation"

The church community

"I finally moved in just before Christmas 2022 and was made to feel so welcome at St. Mary’s where I found myself robed and in the choir by early January. The thing that has struck me most of all over the past twelve months has been the way in which the church community is so accepting of everyone, whatever their age, disability, ethnicity or orientation. Having moved fourteen times over the last sixty plus years of adulthood, I have experienced many different church communities. St. Mary’s is by far the most inclusive and welcoming of them all. We are so fortunate in our clergy and those who lead various aspects of church life; their skills, energy and commitment are amazing and I feel privileged to belong to such a talented group of people who truly live out their lives in the service and support of others"

TripAdvisor

This place is amazing! It gets five stars from Simon Jenkins due to the Medieval Glass - the only complete set of windows in the country! But it also has a complete set of misericords in the Chancel Stalls - the church supplies a couple of torches so that you can see them as it is pretty dark there. These seats probably came from Cirencester Abbey (now a ruin) after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Use the laminated lists of the 28 windows provided (don't forget to return them!) so that you can go around identifying the characters and events in the windows. They could do with a similar guide to the misericords, too. The guidebook is well worth the money so that you can identify the windows from your own photographs later. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the stained glass is that some show the antagonists against the heroes of the faith. The guide book describes all the windows and has photographs of most of them - obviously better than your own, as well, so concentrate on details of the windows with your own camera.
We visited late in the afternoon in October - apparently a good time as the sun was low in the sky and shows the glass to best effect. But go whenever you can - this is spectacular!

October 2023

Very interesting group visit to this church with amazing stained glass. Just a shame the sun wasn't shining to appreciate it fully. An excellent guide - with so much knowledge! Thank you.

June 2022

Please visit St. Mary's Church, Fairford (tripadvisor.com) to see all reviews