St Mary’s Church, Edvin Loach, HR7 4PW

There are two churches in Edvin Loach, the old ruin (now in the care of English Heritage) and a few yards away the current church built in Victorian times. They are perched on the hilltop at the highest point in the parish which commands fine views of Clee Hill and the Long Mynd to the north and the Malvern Hills to the south. Visitors frequently leave comments on the splendour and peace of the site.

The Saxo-Norman church of St. Giles was built in the mid-1000s, lying just inside the inner bailey of the Norman ‘bailey and motte’ castle. A painting of 1851 displayed just outside the ruin shows it late in its life. A big lintel stone is said to be a sacred relic. Originally the church had no tower, which was added in the 1500’s, and only two very narrow Norman windows. After complaints from a rector with failing eyesight in 1663 a third was installed. The big square windows of which traces remain were added in the 1700s. Once services moved to the new church, the old building rapidly declined, and probably would have disappeared by now had not English Heritage, following a local initiative, stepped in to the rescue in 1970.

The new church was designed by the most renowned architect of the time Sir George Gilbert Scott, in the Victorian gothic style of which he was champion. It was paid for by the local landlords, the Barneby family of Saltmarshe Castle (which was pulled down in 1953). The church is notable for its light and airy atmosphere created by the high roof and the whitened walls and ceiling showing through the scissor beam structure, also for the two enormous columns which, unusually, support the east side of the steeple.
Services are mostly held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 3.00 pm. The website diary gives extra service dates. The patronal service, early in September, usually begins in the ruin.