The Parish of Wargrave with Knowl Hill
Reach out, Draw in, Build up, Send out
About our Church of England Parish
Our Parish life is centred around three worshipping communities, coupled with a range of other activities which deepen our life together as Christians, and witness to the villages and hamlets where we live. We try to hold in balance the traditional forms and practices of the Church of England on the one hand, and the ability to move with the times and try out new ideas on the other. By this means, there should be something for everybody in what goes on in our Churches and among our parishioners, young and not-so-young.
Although the Church is far more than just a set of buildings, they still provide a focus for the life of its congregations and it is appropriate to give below a brief survey of them. You will find a lot more detail of what goes on there and in the homes and lives of the parishioners in the linked pages on the menu on the left.
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is located in the heart of the large village of Wargrave on Thames, and is beautifully situated beside Mill Green. It is the oldest (parts dating back to the 12th Century) and biggest of the three Churches in the Parish. The Parish Office occupies space in the vestry on its north side, and the Vicar lives close by. There are usually three services each Sunday, and the clergy maintain early and late "daily offices" every day. Close by is The Hannen Room, administered by the Parish, where both Church and Village hold meetings of up to about 40 people. Wargrave is also the focus for a wide programme of activities for children and young people, some of them being run jointly with St. Mary's Church, Twyford. There are three Church Schools in Wargrave.
The Church of St. Peter is located beside the busy A4 "Bath Road" in the smaller village of Knowl Hill. It dates from mid Victorian times, and its original Parish was created partly out of Wargrave, and partly out of Hurst Parishes. After a period of being linked with the Church of St John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green, in 2003 it was reunited with Wargrave, and now has the status of a second Parish Church in the united Parish. The work of St Peter's is concentrated on a single Sunday service, but its members maintain an active focus for social activities in the community of Knowl Hill. There is a Church School next door. 
St Paul's Mission Church in the hamlet of Warren Row is the smallest of the three, and is a "Tin Tabernacle" bought in kit form for just over £100 in 1894. It stands within the former Parish of Knowl Hill to serve this tiny community nestling between the woods of Bowsey Hill and Ashley Hill. For many years, its services were taken by a Church Army Captain, supported financially by a local family. One service a month is held there now, under the auspices of the Clergy of the Parish. Finally, though not part of the Church of England Parish, there are two Roman Catholic places of worship - Our Lady of Peace in Braybrooke Road was opened in 1963, and is supported by the Parish of St Thomas More in Twyford, and Mass is also celebrated in the Chapel of the Convent of St John in Kiln Green.
There were previously three other places of worship in the Parish, which no longer operate. Off the High Street in Wargrave was a Congregationalist Chapel, built in 1835, which closed in 1981. In Crazies Hill, the Village Hall was originally built to serve also as a Mission Church (and it still contains the paraphernalia of an altar etc behind folding doors). Its services were taken by the Wargrave clergy. A Church School still flourishes nearby. In Hare Hatch, there used to be another "Tin Tabernacle" in Milley Lane, built by a local family who supported the work of a Lay Reader for many years. A separate Village Hall was built in Tag Lane, which also was used as a Mission Church for a while after the Tin Tab was demolished.
Thursday 10 June 2010
Office Address:
Parish Office, Mill Green
Station Road
Wargrave
Berks
RG10 8EU
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