Church Loft & Church Room

28/12/2025

Wishing the very best of Christmas to all friends and friends of friends who live and visit West Wycombe, and the New Year, may each day be brighter, lighter, with more oxygen than the last! Kindest regards Colin mantripp

20/05/2023

THE CHURCH ROOM AND LOFT PASSES TO SAFE HANDS

The West Wycombe Churches PCC is delighted to confirm the safe transfer of the historic Church Room and Loft to the internationally renowned Wood Carver and Craftsman Colin Mantripp (www.lillyfee.co.uk).

For several years, the cost of maintaining and running the iconic 15th Century building has been a growing worry. We approached numerous individuals and organisations in an attempt to secure a safe future for the building and eventually instructed local property consultant Philip Marsh Collins Deung (PMCD) to market it. Our emphasis was the need to: “...find someone who can use the building in a positive way and ensure the safe keeping of the building and clock for generations to come.”

PMCD’s Director Nick Ball has commented “Not the usual brief, but with its bell turret, clock, judge’s chair, whipping post and gaol, this is no ordinary property, and the instructions were exactly right! Standing in the old court room imagining events over hundreds of years, we need to keep this for everyone.”

Once marketing began in earnest, there was a lot of interest, not only from potential purchasers but also from those concerned for the future of this historic building. PMCD approached around 40 architects, public and private organisations active in the locality and there was also representation on the SPAB website (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings).

Colin Mantripp is an extremely skilled craftsman and restorer of listed buildings. He is also the grandson of well-known woodcarver and furniture maker Frank Hudson, former resident of West Wycombe and president of the West Wycombe Brass Band! As well as his work in local churches, country houses and Royal Palaces, Colin’s mark is also visible in High Wycombe High Street where he restored the landmark Red Lion. He has many connections with West Wycombe village; his sisters went to the village school and he too had school friends living here. His grandparents lived at the Apple Orchard, where his cousins started the Apple Orchard trading company. He has worked for the late Sir Frances Dashwood at West Wycombe Park and done much carving work for Browns furniture company in Church Lane.

Now residing in Cornwall in an historic listed manor house, Colin regularly travels up to the High Wycombe area, continuing to work at the Oxford Colleges and Eton College, as well as for individual clients both locally and internationally. The Church Room and Loft will be a local base for him, providing a small studio which will be opened periodically to local people and clients, so that they can see examples of his work and the fully restored building.

The PCC know how much the Church Room and Loft mean to the local community and are absolutely delighted that they now have a safe and protected future. We are very grateful to Nick and PMCD for their advice and successful efforts, and especially to Colin for his generous spirit and real concern for the conservation of a local gem. It really seems like an answer to prayer to be passing on the building to someone who can give it the care and respect which it deserves, and we look forward to welcoming Colin into the West Wycombe community.

28/10/2022

18/03/2020

We shall be in touch soonest with everyone who has a Baptism, Wedding or other special event planned for the next few months.

We'll also be taking any (safe) opportunity to meet up in the open air and share a worship and supportive time. Please do let us know if you'd be interested in joining in!

23/03/2018

***Don't forget***

Clocks go forward one hour this weekend

Please share

When was daylight savings introduced?
The first British advocate of daylight savings time was William Willett, who published a pamphlet in 1907 entitled A Waste of Daylight that advised his fellow countrymen to make the most of summer by getting up earlier. He was a keen golfer and it was partly his frustration at having his games cut short by nightfall that turned him into a passionate campaigner for an extra hour of sunlight.

However, Britain didn't adopt the idea until 1916, a few weeks after Germany and Austria-Hungary implemented it as a wartime measure.

10/12/2017

The Church Loft looking wonderful and atmospheric in the snow.

10/12/2017

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE AT ST PAUL'S
POSTPONED UNTIL SUNDAY 17th DECEMBER at 3PM.

I'm very sorry to say that due to the heavy snow the Christmas Carol Service which was due to take place in St Paul's, West Wycombe this afternoon, has been postponed. The service will now take place in St Paul's on SUNDAY 17th of DECEMBER at 3PM. All are most welcome to attend. As the Christmas Tree festival has also been cut short by the weather, the Christmas trees will all remain in church until after the Carol Service next week.

06/12/2017

04/12/2017

It was great fun decorating the Church Loft ready for the Festive Fayre and thanks to everyone who came along to help. As befits a building constructed in the 1460s, it's all decorated in natural greenery, including a twenty foot long garland. There is even a whole branch of Mistletoe hanging from the ceiling! Anyway we are looking forward to seeing people on Wednesday evening when the Loft will be candlelit - do come along and have a look at this very special space.

02/12/2017

Hello all. As many of you know although we have used the Church Room, our wonderful fifteenth century Church Loft above has been a bit neglected in recent decades. The Loft is an amazing medieval space and is the least altered of West Wycombe's medieval buildings. Entering the Loft is like entering the Middle Ages. We have been working really hard to get the Church Loft cleared these last few months and we are nearly there now. The Loft will be open to the public on the evening of West Wycombe festive fair (Wednesday 6th December) between 5.30 and 9pm. It will be candlelit and will be decorated and festooned with greenery for Christmas. So do pop in and have a look if you are in the village for the fair, of course the historic village clock will also be open for viewing. In the New Year we will then begin to think about a longer term plan for the Loft that makes the most of it.