St Mary’s, Lydiard Tregoze

05/09/2026

Join us on Sunday 13th September at 4.30pm in the beautiful Walled Garden of Lydiard Park for a service of thanksgiving for Harvest. All are welcome.

If it is raining, the service will take place in St Mary’s Church.

27/08/2026

How to Read a Medieval Church - a talk by Dr Samantha Harper.

Friday 18th September at 7pm at St Mary’s, Lydiard Tregoze

Tickets are £7.50 and available from the church website from this coming weekend or at the door.

Medieval parish churches are often described as 'treasure houses' of architecture and craftsmanship, but they are much more than that. Every stone, window, monument and surviving fragment has a story to tell about the people who worshipped there, the communities they served, and the changing religious beliefs and practices that shaped their lives over centuries.

This talk explores how to 'read' a medieval church as a historical source. What common features do England's medieval parish churches share and why? What do these reveal about the communities that built and used them? What political, social and religious contexts have shaped their construction, alteration, survival and, in some cases, destruction? And what evidence have centuries of change left behind that can help us understand medieval worship, devotion and community life?

Using examples from St Mary's, Lydiard Tregoze, alongside churches from across the region, this talk will provide a practical toolkit for interpreting the clues hidden within any medieval church, enabling visitors to see familiar buildings with fresh eyes and to better understand the lives of those who built, adorned and worshipped in them.

Dr Samantha Harper is a medieval historian specialising in the political, social and religious history of late medieval and early Tudor England. Her research has focused particularly on the relationship between the Crown, local communities and political culture during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, culminating in her forthcoming book London and the Crown, 1461–1529 (Oxford University Press).

Alongside her work on late medieval politics, Samantha has developed a growing research interest in the religious life of pre-Reformation England, exploring how parish churches, architecture and material culture can reveal the beliefs, practices and daily experiences of medieval communities and has published many journal articles on this subject. Passionate about making academic research accessible to wider audiences, she regularly lectures on medieval history and church heritage, leads guided tours of historic churches, and has contributed to projects that bring Britain's medieval past to life for both specialist and public audiences. She currently works with the University of Oxford, supporting researchers in communicating their work beyond academia.

31/07/2026

Delighted that our new noticeboard is up in the churchyard!

26/07/2026

26/07/2026

It was a joy to welcome Katia Rocks from CMS Brazil to our service this morning. We are grateful and thankful for her heartfelt preaching this morning and being with us.

We pray for Katia and the people of Brazil, and the work of CMS across the world.

More information here: https://churchmissionsociety.org/people-in-mission/katia-rocks-brazil/

25/07/2026

A wonderful of music this evening by Toby Wright - everything from Bach to James Bond - as we begin our organ appeal. Delighted that Sir Robert Buckland has kindly agreed to be the patron of our appeal as we raise the money to restore our small, but beautiful William Sweetland organ.

21/07/2026

This weekend we will be launching our organ appeal.

Launch of organ restoration appeal & inaugural appeal recital

Historic organ restoration appeal to launch with special recital at St Mary’s, Lydiard Tregoze

St Mary’s Church, Lydiard Tregoze, will formally launch its Organ Restoration Appeal next month with a special recital celebrating the rich musical heritage of its much‑loved 1902 William Sweetland organ.

The event marks the beginning of a major fundraising campaign over the next five years to restore the instrument, which has served the parish faithfully for more than 120 years. A recent specialist report describes the organ as “a significant and increasingly uncommon survival” of Sweetland’s work and confirms that, while still playable, key components require conservation to secure the organ’s long‑term future.

St Mary’s is delighted to announce that Sir Robert Buckland, former MP of Swindon South and the Church of England’s Third Estate Commissioner, has agreed to be the patron of the Organ Restoration Appeal.

A Once‑in‑a‑Generation Restoration
The proposed restoration is set to involve the complete dismantling and workshop conservation of the instrument. The work will preserve the organ’s historic character while ensuring its reliability for decades to come.

As part of the appeal, St Mary’s will be raising money through various fundraising activities, including an Adopt‑a‑Pipe scheme, inviting individuals, families, schools, and local businesses to sponsor one of the organ’s pipes.

Outreach and Engagement

It is hoped that the restoration project will also include a programme of education and outreach with local schools with pupils invited in to watch the restoration in action, and explore topics such as the physics of sound, engineering and mechanical design, heritage craft skills and how a pipe organ works.


Recital Details

The appeal’s opening recital will be given by Toby Wright, a young organist from Hungerford in Berkshire, who is building a following on Social Media. He has played at many prestigious locations across the United Kingdom including cathedrals, Westminster Abbey and many parish churches.

The programme of music will offer something for everyone, ranging from classic organ pieces to film pieces. We hope to have a screen at the front of the church for people to be able to see the console during the recital. The programme will also showcase the tonal beauty of the Sweetland organ and highlight why its preservation is so important.

Light refreshments will be served during the interval, and there will be a chance to talk to Toby after the recital.

Date: Saturday 25th July 2026
Time: 6.30 pm
Venue: St Mary’s Church, Lydiard Tregoze
Admission: Tickets are £10 available from Eventbrite (plus booking fee) or at the door