Cranham Church
Church Lane, Cranham, Gloucester GL4 8HP | cranhamchurch@gmail.com
St James the great church, Cranham
St James the Great provides a place for prayer, sanctuary and community. It is actively involved in village life including the annual Cranham Feast weekend, when we host a fabulous Flower Festival and which culminates with a procession throughout the village to the church and an open-air service involving Cranham’s orchestra in the church yard.
As well as at key times in the church calendar including Advent, Christmas, Easter and our Patronal Festival in July, we also come together each year for an act of Remembrance at the Lychgate, which draws together villagers, school members and local groups such as the Beavers and Scouts. The Lychgate is a memorial to villagers who served in 1914-18 and 1939-1945 world wars, with a ship’s bell from HMS Cranham, donated by the Admiralty when the minesweeper was decommissioned.
The Christian family at St James the Great is a friendly, welcoming and vibrant community. We meet to worship at the church every Sunday. Following most services there is a time for refreshment, with homemade nibbles and drinks. Cranham’s nearby Church of England Primary School is an integral part of our family: we host monthly prayer meetings for the needs of the school there, and the school regularly uses the church building and grounds for its worship, including important learning sessions about faith and spirituality, and special events.
Set within the idyllic surrounding of Cranham…
St James the Great itself, set within the idyllic surroundings of Cranham, Gloucestershire, is a Grade II* listed building and truly fascinating church with fine examples of architecture with additions and alterations dating from the 13th, 16th and 19th centuries. The Triptych, a 16th Century Flemish painting, has now returned to Cranham Church having undergone an outstanding complete restoration. The church organ, built by the renowned craftsman T C Lewis, has also recently undergone significant renovation, thus safeguarding this magnificent instrument for generations to come.
Good to know
Accessibility
– Wheelchair ramp
– Hearing loop
Opening Hours
Daily: 10am – 5pm
Choirs/bell ringing
Choir Practice:?
Active Bell ringers’ team. Bell ringing practice is every Thursday evening.
Supported charities
Stroud Womens’s Refuge
Cranham School
Nathan Youlton
Oversees Mission Student
Church News & Events
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Safeguarding
Sometimes people don’t know who to turn to if they feel uncomfortable, worried, or unsafe, which is why we
have a dedicated safeguarding team ready to listen and support you.
Giving
“Maintaining a wonderful church building like St James the Great is an expensive business, which is solely the responsibility of the Cranham Parochial Church Council. This cost amounts to over £20,000 per year, the equivalent of £55 per day. In addition, there are often major one-off expenses, which in recent years for Cranham has included spending around £20,000 on the repairs to the bells, £42,000 on restoring the organ and around £100,000 specialist work on the historic triptych. The church benefits massively from over 70 people who help in many ways with cleaning, mowing, flower arranging, music and bell-ringing, but it also needs regular financial income in order to continue and survive. Please contact our treasurer Helen Daltry (helen@daltry.net) if you would like to become a regular donor, or use this QR code to make a one-off gift.”
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