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 Whether Painswick is a town or village is an endless debating point, but it is undoubtedly one of the finest of Cotswold settlements and is frequently known as “Queen of the Cotswolds”.
The church of St Mary the Virgin, with its imposing steeple and the famous table tombs and yew trees, has dominated the centre of Painswick for hundreds of years, with parts of the existing building dating from the 14th century.
 The lively and caring nature of Painswick is reflected in the large number of church and secular activities and organisations that are available.
From pre-school age to nonagenarians, there are activities for everyone in Painswick, and Painswick churches play a significant role through the ecumenical partnership of Churches Together Around Painswick’ (see CTAP.)
There is worship every Sunday in St Mary’s Church , and further services at various times and locations throughout the week (see Worship ). There are also strong links with the local Croft School. Via our fulltime Youth Sports Leader there is close involvement with youth and sporting activities in Painswick and the surrounding area (see PSALMS ).
 The Vicar is Rev John Longuet-Higgins and he works with the support of a group of non-stipendiary ministers. There is also an active Local Ministry Team. Between them they provide leadership in the regular worship, in Alpha courses and home groups, in carrying out home and hospital visits and taking communion to the housebound. (see Worship ).
St Mary’s is also supported by both adult and junior Choirs; the Bellringers known since 1686 as The Ancient Society Of Painswick Youths; a Flower Guild; the St Mary’s Guild; a Prayer Group/Cell; (see Contacts ). Also, in its turn, St Mary’s Church supports several charitable missions both in this country and overseas. (see Charities-supported ).
We welcome visitors from all over the world to view the church and church yard. The church is open for visitors every day of the year from 9.30 am. It is closed at 6 pm from April to September (inclusive) and at 4 pm in the winter months. Postcards, various brochures and information are available in the church. Self guided tour pamphlets in at least 12 languages are available. See the Visitors page of this web site for more information, including how to find us.
We are fortunate that our church building has wonderful acoustics. As a result we welcome patrons to a number of concerts each year - including Cheltenham Festival and Three Choirs concerts as well as a regular series organised by the Painswick Music Society. The forthcoming concert programme and details of how to set about organising a concert or similar event at Painswick Church may be found at Concerts.
Another important part of our ministry is to welcome many people from outside Painswick to our church to attend a baptism, wedding or funeral. Arrangements for organising such services can be found here.
There are Church Rooms adjacent to the churchyard, that are available for meetings, lectures and classes, as well as social functions. (see Church-Rooms),
The Parochial Church Council (or PCC) is the governing body of Painswick Church. More details of meetings, members, charitable status, annual report, projects and fund raising may be found at PCC
The Painswick part of the Beacon Benefice website is currently being completed. If you cannot find what you are after, any queries etc may be made by e-mailing Churchwarden
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