Paignton Parish Church

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Paignton Parish Church

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Paignton Parish Church, Religious Center, Church Street, Paignton.

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and lived amongst us, was crucified for our sins, then three days later was resurrected and that through belief in him, we have an eternal hope.

12/10/2026

Cannonballs. Not, perhaps, something you expect to encounter on a guided tour of a parish church.

And yet Paignton Parish Church has survived rather a lot over the centuries — including the turmoil of the English Civil War, when fighting came rather closer to the church door than we might generally prefer.

Look carefully around the building and there are scars and stories traditionally associated with that violent period, particularly around the Kirkham Chantry. Were cannonballs really responsible for some of the damage? What happened here when Devon was caught up in the Civil War? And how much can the building itself actually tell us?

Our weekly guided tour includes a glimpse of really old cannonballs, conflict and some of the more dramatic moments in the church’s long history. Only some of which were over which hymn book to use.

Come and explore Paignton Parish Church, discover the stories hiding in its stones, and perhaps notice something you’ve walked past a hundred times before.

Every Thursday at 10am, entirely free (donations gratefully received)

Free — everyone welcome. No armour required.

10/10/2026

The seasons are changing…

The evenings are drawing in, there’s a chill in the air, and we have entered that particularly British season when every conversation requires a brief assessment of the weather. Change is everywhere.

One thing people assume when a new member of clergy arrives is that they will change things. They are absolutely right. Churches need to change because the communities around them change. And congregations are generally very keen on change. We recognise the need for it. We talk about it. We put it in Mission Action Plans. We are entirely in favour of change.

As long as you don’t change the wrong things.

The problem, of course, is that nobody entirely agrees what the wrong things are. Perhaps that’s because churches hold our memories. A hymn, a service, a tradition or a slightly inconvenient way of doing something can carry people and moments that mattered to us.

But churches have always changed. Paignton Parish Church carries centuries of it in its stones — generations altering, repairing, adding and removing things, probably while somebody muttered that it wasn’t like this in their day. And through it all, the deeper things remain.

We still need community. We still need somewhere to belong. We still wrestle with questions of love, loss, hope, meaning and God. The challenge is working out what needs to change — and what we need to carry with us.

And you don’t have to have been here for years to be part of that conversation. If you’re looking for community, curious about faith, or simply wondering what church might have to offer in this particular season of your life, come and join us.

There’s room to be part of what comes next.

07/10/2026

Oh to belong…

We were thinking on Sunday about inclusion, and last week we posted about our ancient font, which has welcomed generations of people into the family of faith. We have rituals about belonging and we have signs saying everyone is welcome. We make announcements about it, we put it on the website. We are, frankly, quite keen for people to get the message.

And yet, every few weeks, a message arrives: “Would I be welcome there?”

Would I be welcome if I’m gay? If my family is complicated? If I am autistic? If my child makes noise, moves around or needs to leave halfway through? If I don’t know what I believe? If I haven’t been to church since 1987 and even then it was for somebody’s wedding? If I have absolutely no idea what everyone else seems to know?

Saying “everyone is welcome” is easy. We can print it on a banner, we probably will, it'll be snazzy. But making sure people actually feel that they belong is rather more complicated.

Belonging is more than an open door. It’s being noticed when you come through it. It’s having room made for you without having to become someone else first. It’s discovering that your questions, your history, your family, your body, your brain, your doubts and your gifts don’t disqualify you from being part of the community.

We won't always get it right. We’re a church full of humans, which is generally where the problems begin. But we’re learning.

Perhaps that old font has something to teach us. For centuries, people have gathered around it and heard that another human being belongs to the family of God. Not because they passed an entrance exam. Not because they had everything sorted out. Not because they fitted neatly into a particular mould.

Simply because grace came first.

So, if you’re hovering at the metaphorical — or actual — door wondering, “Would I be welcome there?” Yes. Come in. Come as you are.

And if we’re not very good at showing you that you belong, tell us.

We’re still learning how wide open the doors really are.

05/10/2026

🏰 **THIS CHURCH HAS A SCREEN. BUT IT’S NOT FOR NETFLIX.**

If you’ve ever walked into Paignton Parish Church and thought, “That’s a rather impressive wooden screen,” congratulations.

You have discovered the Rood Screen.

But there’s considerably more to it than being a very elaborate way of dividing up a church.

Our guided tour will tell you what it is, why it’s there, what happened to it over the centuries, and why the version you see today is connected to a much more recent story.

And if you’re wondering what a “rood” actually is…

Come on the tour.

We’re not putting the answer in the Facebook post.

Where’s the fun in that?

📅 Every Thursday 10am (see website for updated info)
🎟️ Completely free, donations gratefully received

**Paignton Parish Church: where even the furniture has a backstory.**

30/09/2026

We are in interesting times...

We have been part of a change of landscape with our neighbours in Goodrington and Collaton St Mary, and there is a proposal now ready for public consultation at the link below!

https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2026-09/draft_scheme_02112026_goodrington.pdf

27/09/2026

THIS IS NOT JUST A VERY FANCY BOWL.

It’s the font. And it has been here for a **very** long time. It's been in other places too.

Long enough to have seen generations of Paignton residents baptised, generations of babies scream during church services, and probably several clergy trying to remember where they put the baptismal oil.

The font is one of the oldest treasures in Paignton Parish Church — and on our guided tour, you’ll discover what makes it special and what it can tell us about the people who worshipped here centuries ago.

📅 Every Thursday, 10am
🎟️ Completely free. Donations much appreciated.

Come and see it. It’s considerably more interesting than your average bathroom basin.

23/09/2026

You’re warmly invited to join us at 5pm on Sunday 27 September at Paignton Parish Church for a reflective service with music from Taizé.

Simple music, silence, prayer and reflections will create space to slow down, breathe, and simply be.

Whether you’re familiar with Taizé prayer or have never experienced it before, you are very welcome.

Come as you are.🕯️

Sunday 27 September 5pm

16/09/2026

Tiredness and Teatowels…

It’s that time of year when church leaders take a deep breath and wonder how many things it is actually possible to juggle at once.

Harvest is imminent. Christmas needs planning approximately six months before anyone is ready to think about Christmas. Weddings need to be booked. There’s the to-do list left over from the supposedly “quieter” summer. There are roof leaks requiring approximately a squillion pounds to fix. And somewhere in amongst it all, we’re trying to nudge the parish “brochure” forward, ready for the day when a new Rector might be enticed to come and join us.

It is possible, at moments like this, to feel slightly overwhelmed.

Especially when you discover that the biscuit tin appears to be considerably more empty than it was on Friday. Was it the PCC? Surely it was the PCC. Ahem.

And then there’s the teatowel.

The idea came, as good ideas often do, from the pews (which are chairs): could we have something with our faces on it? Something that captures this season, these people, this place. There has followed the small matter of teaching people how to digitalise their portraits because, apparently, “no one can draw like they could for the last one in 1991”.

But somewhere in the middle of all that, the teatowel has reminded me of something.

Instead of a to-do list, there is a place that is alive. There are people who have ideas, people who turn up, people who make things, people who pray, people who sing, people who fix things, people who make tea, people who eat the biscuits, refill the biscuit tin, forgive the pioneer priest for eating all the biscuits and, occasionally, people who draw themselves onto a teatowel.

The services, the rotas, the roof repairs, the meetings and even the endless lists are not really the point. They are the scaffolding around the thing that matters: people growing together, making a place where there is room to belong.

So yes, there is a lot to do. The roof still leaks. Christmas is still coming. The biscuits are still mysteriously disappearing.

But there is something rather wonderful about having so much to do because there are so many people here to do it with. And apparently, we’re going to commemorate that with a teatowel.

Photo of Mabel, supervising the Parish Administrator in the office.

14/09/2026

🏰 **ANOTHER WEEK. ANOTHER CHANCE TO DISCOVER THAT PAIGNTON PARISH CHURCH IS MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN YOU THOUGHT.**

You may have missed the summer's guided tours.

Perhaps you were busy. Perhaps it was too hot. Perhaps it was raining.

Perhaps you were worried that a guided tour of a church would involve someone talking about Victorian hymn books for an hour.

We understand. But we promise there’s considerably more to it than that. 😂

Join us this week for a guided tour of Paignton Parish Church and discover medieval treasures, fascinating characters, beautiful stained glass, hidden details and stories that you simply won’t spot by wandering around on your own.

And yes, there will probably be another mention of **Creepy Fred**.

We can’t help it. He’s part of the family now. 👻

📅Every Thursday at 10am (check website for updates
⏰ Approximately one hour
🎟️ Completely free, donations gratefully received

Come and discover the building behind the stories.

**History. Mystery. A little bit of weirdness. What’s not to like?**

10/09/2026

💍 THINKING ABOUT GETTING MARRIED?

You could get married somewhere that has been helping people celebrate love for a few hundred years. ❤️ (and looks great in photos)

Paignton Parish Church is a beautiful historic setting - with soaring medieval architecture, beautiful stained glass, music, candlelight and all the atmosphere that comes from standing where generations of couples have stood before you.

Love is pretty much our specialty, from the way we are each loved by our Creator and the Love that holds us in life's big moments, to the love of the community and world and family we nurture. We go deep.

So come and have a chat if you're interested m- no need to be able to recite the Lord's Prayer off by heart or confess your darkest sins (though we can accommodate that too...). This is a place for people, that holds stories, that shares the journey.

Find out more: https://paigntonparishchurch.com and https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding

Address

Church Street
Paignton
TQ33AQ

Telephone

+447915736169

Website

http://www.paigntonparishchurch.co.uk/

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