Sunday….. So Off to Church

Hailes Parish Church, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire.

Just a few miles from the very busy Cotswold Marke Town of Winchcombe, is this very quiet valley where you will find the hamlet of Hailes and its Parish Church.  The Church stands alone in the valley surrounded by rich agricultural land and sheltered by the Cotswold Escarpment. 

Hailes Parish Church dates back to 1240, but like so many of our ancient churches, the location has much older religious associations.

The interior is simple and pretty much unchanged.  A Stone Flagged floor and Wooden Pews with a carved Wood Rood Screen beneath the Alter Arch…..   Some of the walls are adorned with religious paintings.  I suspect that like many other wall art in churches and abbeys, they have spent many years hidden behind a whitewash.  Maybe this regressive action actually helped preserve them so we can view today.

Whilst in the valley, and less then 1/4 mile away, you can also find the remains of Hailes Abbey. It was founded not long after the Parish church in 1246 but has fared less well, now a ruin.  Like many Abbeys it suffered destruction in the Reformations of Henry VIII.  Ruins they may be, but you can still gain a feel for the extensive size of the Abbey.

A valley that is now so quiet, but once an important hub for this Gloucestershire community.

Enjoy your Sunday, relax if you feel the need and are able….  but as always….

Please Remember ….

Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other

26th February

(C) David Oakes 2023