“St Lawrence with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate” is a parish of the
Church of England, within the
Deanery and
Diocese of Winchester. The parish surrounds the
Cathedral in the centre of the ancient
city of Winchester.
Our parish has two churches, St Lawrence in the Square and St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, serving an active and regular congregation with services on Sundays and weekdays.
Do come and join us – you will find a warm welcome. At other times, our churches are normally open whenever possible, so that you can find the peace and quiet joy that comes from silent prayer in buildings that have been prayed in for centuries and are much loved for that purpose today. Services and other events in the churches are listed on the Services page: follow the link in the sidebar to the left.
In October 2010 we joined with the parish of St Bartholomew, in Hyde to the north of Winchester city centre, to form the united benefice of St Bartholomew and St Lawrence with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate. Our Rector, the Reverend Canon Cliff Bannister, was formally ‘collated’ to the new benefice on 9 November. On 13 July 2011 the Reverend Amanda Goulding, who had been our curate, was licensed as assistant priest.
Our parish enjoys ecumenical links with other Christian churches, through Churches Together in Winchester and especially through a long-standing link with the United Church with whom, together with St Peter’s Catholic parish and St Bartholomew’s Anglican parish, we organise the Space in the City Wednesday lunch-time talks on spiritual matters. For details, see the Space in the City web site.
The modern parish of St Lawrence with St Swithun is the result of amalgamations, over the years, of several former parishes. It comprises the southern half of the ancient walled city of Winchester (except the Cathedral area), with an extension to the south to include the former parish of St Michael, whose church is officially part of our parish but is now used only by Winchester College as a secondary chapel. Also within our parish is St Thomas church in Southgate Street, now closed and used as charity offices, and the sites of other churches including St Maurice, whose tower still stands in Market Lane, and old St Thomas, of which only the churchyard remains as the garden of two houses in St Thomas Street.
Here is a map of the parish with the locations of St Lawrence, St Swithun and St Michael churches.
St Lawrence in the Square
The medieval church of St Lawrence is of great interest, not only for its unusual square design but also for its fine 17th-century ‘king-post’ roof and its ancient site. There was a church on the site before the Norman conquest, and it was incorporated into William the Conqueror’s palace as the royal chapel. After the palace and chapel were destroyed by fire, St Lawrence Church was rebuilt in about 1150. The church was badly damaged by fire in 1978 and after restoration re-opened in 1980, with seating for about 120 people. St Lawrence is still referred to as the Mother Church of Winchester, for it is the only surviving parish church of Norman foundation within the city walls. When a new Bishop of Winchester is on his way to his enthronement in the Cathedral, it is at St Lawrence Church that he is presented to the Mayor, clergy and citizens.
Click here for a map of Winchester showing the location of St Lawrence Church.
Access is easy – there is one step with a ramp for wheelchairs.
The church is open for services but may be closed at other times; to be sure of access, please make an appointment via the Parish Office (see below).
St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate
Kingsgate (King’s Gate) is one of the ancient gates in the walls of the city of Winchester. The Church above the gate is first mentioned in records in 1264 when it was also destroyed by fire; It was rebuilt and has been much restored over the centuries. Churches built over city gates were common in medieval times, but only a few survive today.
St Swithun’s Church features in literature as St Cuthbert’s in Anthony Trollope’s novel “The Warden”.
There is a good description of St Swithun’s Church, and information about St Swithun himself, on the Kingdom Living web-site
Click here for a map of Winchester showing the location of St Swithun’s Church.
The church is above the gate and is reached by a covered staircase (visible on the right in the picture); unfortunately it has not been possible to install a lift.
The church is open for services but may be closed at other times; to be sure of access, please make an appointment via the Parish Office (see below).
| Parish of St Lawrence with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, Winchester
| |
|---|---|
| Rector: | The Reverend Canon Cliff Bannister
|
| Assistant Priest: | The Reverend Amanda Goulding
|
| Churchwardens: | Tom Nell
John Stanning |
| St Lawrence Parish Office,
Colebrook Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9LH telephone & fax: 01962-849434 e-mail: 
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The governing body of the parish, the Parochial Church Council (PCC), is a registered charity, number 1130543.
