The North Door of St Edward's Church Stow on the Wold is famous. Yet it is just the back door to the church. The north side of the church is the unfashionable part of the churchyard where the paupers were buried. The wealthy of the parish were buried in the church or at the west and south end of the churchyard. St Edward's is different.The door at the north side of the church is a late addition to the medieval church. After the civil war of the 17th century the church was in a very run down condition. Repairs were undertaken in the late 17th and early 18th century and it is likely that this is when the new north door was built. Around this time the Rector of the parish lived next to the church in the building that is now Stow Lodge Hotel. There is a gate in the wall to allow him to cut through the grounds to the church. Perhaps the north door is so grand because the Rector used it. We don't have the written records but it makes sense that this short cut was made to look impressive for the incumbent who had the living.The door was just fixture of the church, albeit a very beautiful fixture, until it was suggested that JRR Tolkien may have visited the church and saw the trees growing around and over the door. The story is that this inspired him to imagine the doors of Durin which are the entrance the the dwarf kingdom of Moria in 'The Lord of the Rings.' We don't know if Tolkien did come to Stow but we know he visited Moreton in Marsh. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic so perhaps he visited Stow to worship at the RC church which is on Back Walls and, after a pie and a pint walked around St Edward's Church and was inspired by the doors. We will never know yet tens of thousands of people visit every year to witness the beauty of the site.
If you have been into St Edward’s, Stow, in the past week you will have noticed something missing from the wall near the South Door. The long overdue professional conservation of our very large 17th- century painting of the Crucifixion got underway on 23rd October. In a fascinating process, the painting was carefully removed from the wall, given initial cleaning and protective repairs, removed from its frame and then rolled around a large drum before being removed to the Bristol studio of International Fine Art Conservation Studios. The painting will be returned to Stow after about five months. During its absence, an almost lifesize facsimile will hang in its place.In view of the size of the canvas, the conservation process is very expensive and far beyond any justifiable cost for St Edward’s. However, the painting has been an integral part of the church’s heritage since 1837, and needs to be kept in a fit condition for the benefit of future generations. Fortunately, we have been successful in getting grants and donations that cover most of the cost from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Ian M Foulerton Charitable Trust, the National Churches Trust, the Leche Trust, St Andrew's Conservation Trust, Laslett's (Hinton) Charity and private donors.
Although we try to hold as weddings as possible at St Edward's Church, sometimes it is not possible to create a qualifying connection by attendance. Couples may live too far away from Stow-on-the-Wold to attend monthly for six months. When this is the case we can hold a wedding blessing in our ancient church if you have been though a civil marriage conducted elsewhere. The blessing service can have all the traditional features of bells, bridesmaids, flowers, hymns and friends and family all dressed up. Alternatively, it can be a blessing with just the couple. For 2024 costs start at £540 for the service. A team of bellringers, the organist and flowers are charged separately if you want to have a larger service. We have plenty of local hotels and restaurants for a wedding breakfast for two or two hundred. Please contact us on secretary@stedwardsstow.org.uk to find out how we can make your wedding blessing a very special day.The small print: We would need to see a marriage certificate prior to the service. This is a blessing and not a legal marriage service.Canon Law does not allow us to bless same sex couples which is a great sadness, but this is where we are in 2024.
In August there was filming in Condicote for the Sister Boniface Mysteries Season Three. The Pound, with St Nicholas in the background, will be in season three episode three. We understand that filming was also taking place in gardens around the parish. Season 1 is showing on the BBC at the moment and if you have catch up tv you can see all of the first season on the BBC and seasons one and two on U.Those of us who live in the North Cotswolds can spend many hours watching out for local landmarks and shouting at the tv when locations don't match up. The vicar is well known for this when watching Inspector Morse, Lewis and Shoestring.
