Ist Sunday of the Month
9.15 am
Holy Communion
At the heart
of worship…
at the heart of the community
Welcome to
St Peter's Stanton Lacy
The Saxon Church of St Peter has been serving the parish of Stanton Lacy since the early 11th century, and there was probably a church on this site for 300 years before that. It is one of the few churches mentioned in the Domesday Book.
St Peter’s is one of 6 parishes with 8 churches that form the Bromfield Benefice within the Ludlow Deanery, itself within the diocese of Hereford. The church has an active congregation and calendar, and further information is available on the Worship and Events pages of this website.
We have launched an important refurbishment project for St Peter’s; you can find out more about the work and how you can help here.
We look forward to welcoming you.
A message from Rector Justin Parker
NEWS ....
Reinterment Service Held at St Peter's
Human remains previously excavated in St Peter's Churchyard and dated to the late Medieval period were reinterred at a special All Souls Service on 2nd November 2025.
Our All Souls Service this year was marked by a special act of remembrance as we reinterred the remains of someone who was originally buried at St Peter’s over 500 years ago.
During the early stages of the building work here last year, human remains were discovered in the churchyard. Not unusual perhaps but these were buried at less than 1 metre deep. The appropriate authorities were advised and the archaeologist on site during the work excavated the remains, recovering more or less a whole skeleton. He advised that the absence of any coffin goods suggested a wrapped burial. This, together with the relatively shallow depth indicated a burial during the late mediaeval era, so pre-1500.
We know little of the person themselves, other than that they were male and a young adult at the time of death.
The earliest date for the grave monuments in the churchyard is 17th C so this discovery is a timely reminder that the church and its churchyard have a much older history.
NEWS ....
VIP Visit - 4th August 2025
St Peters was delighted to host a visit from a number of VIPs today. The group comprised the Dean of Hereford, the Archdeacon of Ludlow, the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and the Deputy Lieutenant.
The visit was part of a programme involving several churches in South Shropshire with the aim of signifying the importance of Shropshire in the life of the Hereford Diocese.
The photo opposite shows our guests and the representatives of St Peter’s who met with them.
We were able to celebrate the life of St Peter’s and the success of the recent work to create kitchen and toilet facilities on site.
And now that we have a kitchen, the event had to be accompanied by plenty of tea and cake!
NEWS ....
Date: Saturday 14th September 2025
St Peter's proud to play its part in Shropshire's annual 'Ride and Stride' Fundraising Event.
A warm welcome awaits all participants in the annual 'Ride & Stride' Fundraiser.
This is a national fundraising intitiative organised by the National Churches Trust, and led locally by Shropshire Historic Churches Trust (SHCT).
Participants aim to visit as many churches in the county as possible during the day and raise money through sponsorship.
We know it works. Earlier this year St Peter's received a grant of £10,000 from the SHCT towards the installation of kitchen and toilet facilities, which have been a great success.
Thanks everyone for partipating and all the hard work in raising much needed funding.
SERVICES
St Peter’s has 4 sung services each month, as follows;
2nd Sunday of the Month
6.30pm
Evensong
3rd Sunday of the Month
9.15 am
Holy Communion
History
A beautifully proportioned cruciform church, St Peter’s was largely built during the Norman period (1066-1154), but parts of the nave and north transepts are Saxon (A.D. 597-1066) in origin. The churchyard is probably older than the church itself and its semi-circular shape suggests it was once round and contained a Celtic church.
COMMUNITY
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has been keen to encourage the use of the church for wider community events. The church hosts a few concerts a year and an annual Snowdrop Weekend to showcase the churchyard, which draws large numbers of visitors from across the area. Other events have included Strawberry Teas and various photographic and art exhibitions.
EVENTS
In addition to our active programme of Worship, we hold a number of events throughout the year, on site and in conjunction with our colleagues at the Stanton Lacy Village Hall.
Click on the link below for more details
Refurbishment Project
Churches nationally are facing real threats to their long-term futures. Reductions in congregation size and shortages of funding for repair work, especially for historic churches such as St Peter’s, are increasingly challenging the sustainability of the buildings.
Special Message concerning Covid-19
The Church of England continues to update its guidance on Covid in the light of changing government requirements. The latest version is available here.
In summary, the C of E says;
“The situation across England is that while coronavirus is present in most communities we have a population where previous infections and the national vaccination programme means the majority of people have some immunity. Levels of immunity do vary individually and for some people they will continue to be significantly vulnerable to the virus and its potential long-term effects. The removal of the remaining restrictions holds out the hopeful prospect of the end of the pandemic but will nonetheless raise concerns for some. While we are in the phase of moving from a pandemic to an endemic situation places of worship may decide to continue some precautions based on their own circumstances to protect others and themselves”.
In terms of what this means for us at St Peter’s, Rector Justin Parker makes the following recommendations;
- Sanitising/washing of hands remains strongly encouraged; it works, is simple to do and an excellent protective measure
- Face coverings are no longer mandatory in any setting but are recommended in enclosed or crowded places, particularly where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet
- Congregational singing remains permissible and is a joy!
- I recommend that hymn books are placed in the churches in the pews, with an order of service or prayer book if possible, so that people may speedily and safely take their place in church without causing unnecessary bottlenecks at the door
- I will continue to wear a face mask for the administration of the Blessed Sacrament because I will be in close proximity to communicants. I encourage other clergy so to do. We have started to administer the Blessed Sacrament in both kinds, under the species of bread but intincted by the Priest.
- None of you should feel in any way pressured to change your own personal practices beyond that which makes you feel safe and secure in Church.
- I invite each church to place the/a collection plate at the entrance to the church before the beginning of the service so that the alms and offerings of the people may be made before the service and brought up and offered at the altar during the service although I recommend that the plate is not passed around for obvious reasons
- Bellringing, in full, has recommenced, and I continue to recommend that as far as reasonably possible hands are sanitised, sensible distancing is maintained, and if in very close proximity the wearing of masks is considered and ventilation be increased by the opening of doors and/or windows
Please continue to keep in your prayers all those in our health and care professions who minister to the sick and the suffering, those who are sick with COVID or long COVID and those who are fearful, and give hearty thanks to God for the scientists and vaccinators who have helped to bring us to this point so speedily
Kind regards and every blessing
Justin
If you have any queries or concerns about attending St Peter’s do not hesitate to contact the Rector who will do his best to assist.
Gallery
Here are some photo's of our lovely church.
