St Lawrence in the Square with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, Winchester

“St Lawrence with St Maurice with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate” is a parish of the Church of England, within the Diocese of Winchester.  The parish surrounds the Cathedral in the centre of the ancient city of Winchester.
St Maurice remains in the title of the parish although the church was demolished, except for its tower, in 1957.  Now we have the two churches of St Lawrence in the Square and St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, serving an active and regular congregation with services on Sundays and weekdays.  Do come and join us – you will find a warm welcome.  At other times, our churches are normally open whenever possible, so that you can find the peace and quiet joy that comes from silent prayer in buildings that have been prayed in for centuries and are much loved for that purpose today.

We enjoy ecumenical links with other churches in Winchester, especially the United Church with whom we organise the Space in the City Wednesday lunch-time talks on spiritual matters.  The autumn series will run from 1st October to 26th November, with the title “When I’m 64... A Celebration of the Third Age!”  The Space in the City web site is www.spaceinthecity.org.uk

The boundary of the modern parish of St Lawrence with St Swithun includes not only our two active churches, mentioned below, but also the churches of St Michael in Culver Road, now used by Winchester College as a secondary chapel, and St Thomas in Southgate Street, now closed, and the sites of the former churches of St Peter Colebrook, St Maurice (whose tower still stands in Market Lane) and old St Thomas, of which only the churchyard remains as the garden of two houses in St Thomas Street.

St Lawrence in the Square

The medieval church of St Lawrence-in-the-Square is of great interest, not only for its unusual square design but also for its fine 17th-century ‘king-post’ roof and its ancient site.  There was a church on the site before the Norman conquest, and it was incorporated into William the Conqueror’s palace as the royal chapel.  After the palace and chapel were destroyed by fire, St Lawrence Church was rebuilt in about 1150.  The church was badly damaged by fire in 1978 and after restoration re-opened in 1980, with seating for about 120 people.  St Lawrence is still referred to as the Mother Church of Winchester, for it is the only surviving parish church of Norman foundation within the city walls.  When a new Bishop of Winchester is on his way to his enthronement in the Cathedral, it is at St Lawrence Church that he is presented to the Mayor, clergy and citizens.

Who was St Lawrence?

Click here for a map of Winchester showing the location of St Lawrence Church.
Access is easy - there is one step with a ramp for wheelchairs.
The church is open for services but may be closed at other times;  to be sure of access, please make an appointment via the Parish Office (see below).

St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate

Kingsgate (King’s Gate) is one of the ancient gates in the walls of the city of Winchester.  The Church above the gate is first mentioned in records in 1264 when it was also destroyed by fire;  It was rebuilt and has been much restored over the centuries.  Churches built over city gates were common in medieval times, but only a few survive today.

St Swithun’s Church features in literature as St Cuthbert’s in Anthony Trollope’s novel “The Warden”.

There is a good description of St Swithun’s Church, and information about St Swithun himself, on the Kingdom Living web-site

Click here for a map of Winchester showing the location of St Swithun’s Church.
The church is above the gate and is reached by a covered staircase (visible on the right in the picture);  unfortunately it has not been possible to install a lift.
The church is open for services but may be closed at other times;  to be sure of access, please make an appointment via the Parish Office (see below).

The Parish Office is located at the rear of the Parish Room, beside the Rectory at the address above;  telephone, fax, answering machine 01962-849434

The governing body of the parish, the Parochial Church Council (PCC), is a charity which under previous legislation was not required to register with the Charity Commission.  The Charities Act 2006 does require us to register by September 2009, and this work is in progress.

This page was updated on 29 May 2008 by John Stanning. Comments and suggestions welcome!

© 2008 Parish of St Lawrence with St Swithun, Winchester