Benefice Parishes
Welcome to the Highnam Benefice in the Gloucester Diocese. Details of all the parish churches are shown below. servicesThe Highnam Benefice
The Highnam Benefice comprises the parishes of; The Holy Innocents at Highnam with Lassington, St Mary’s Church at Rudford (Rudford is also a Diocesan Retreat Centre), St. Lawrence Church Taynton and Holy Trinity Church Tibberton.
Our Services
A full list of services for Holy Innocents and throughout the Benefice is shown in our Pewsheet.
The Holy Innocents at Highnam
with Lassington
Highnam Church is a Grade 1 Listed Building. Simon Jenkins included Holy Innocents in his selection of the top 100 churches in England; and John Betjeman described it as “the most complete Victorian church in the country In Pevsner’s “Buildings of England (Gloucestershire: The Vale and Forest of Dean)”, he describes the church as the “fulfilment of the Pugin ideal and a very notable monument to the Oxford Movement”.
Although only two miles from Gloucester, the body of the Church is hardly visible from the road surrounded by the parkland of Highnam Court; but its spire soars up through the trees and is a remarkable landmark.
Lassington is about 2 miles NW of Gloucester and has been an integral part of the parish of Highnam since 1928, when the last Rector of Lassington died.
In earlier days, not only did Lassington have its own Rector, but the church and land were owned not by the Bishop of Gloucester but by the Archbishop of York.
Learn more about Lassington here > History of Lassington
Holy Trinity Church Tibberton
Unfortunately very few records exist prior to the mid seventeenth century so the history of the Church is incomplete.
However there is an unbroken list of the names of the Rectors from 1283, the first being a certain ‘Sir R of Cumerwell or Cumberwell’ who was inducted by the Bishop of Hereford on the 28th March 1283. The patron of the Benefice at that time was ‘Edmund, son of the King’.
Since then the patronage of the Benefice has changed many times. At one period it had the doubtful distinction of being in the gift of Henry VIII, later however it was the gift of his daughter, Elizabeth I, ‘Good Queen Bess’.
St Mary’s Church at Rudford
Rudford has been a place of woship for 1200 years. The present church dates from the early Norman periode, and its original architecture is perfectly preserved. It is situated on the River Leadon, now little more than a stream, which at one time was a major trading route to Gloucester. Despite its peaceful and secluded situation now, Rudford was once a thriving Christian community.The Wysis Way passes beside the church and the local area is beautful for walking and enjoying the countryside.
The charming Victorian schoolroom was extended and restored in 2008, providing comfortable seating, catering facilities and toilets. Rudford Church hosts Rudford Retreats, to find out more please click below.
We pride ourselves in keeping our Church open 24/7 -365 days per year – though, regrettably the numbers of our congregation don’t always reflect this.
St Lawrence’s Church at Taynton
This historic and well maintained church was built in the 1650’s, by order of Alderman Pury, Speaker of the Commonwealth Parliament. It succeeded a former village church in Kents Green, at the Northern end of the village, which was suspected of being a defensive post, and was burnt down in the Civil War. A few grassy mounds are all that remain today.
St Lawrence is a product of Puritan perversity in its unusual North/South alignment.
There is a small but loyal congregation and two services are held each month, one Eucharist (Common Worship), and one Evensong (BCP). We are increasing the music in Evensong to include choral responses. In addition there are Festival and Benefice services, which are well supported with congregations up to 45 or 50 and the occasional concert.