The Church of St.Mary’s – Today

Although St.Mary’s had long fallen into an abandoned, ruinous state it had always remained a properly consecrated church and today it’s daily affairs are managed by the Rector, the Rev. Peter Taylor and Robert Davey, the churchwarden.

Morning and evening prayer services are held on a daily basis as well as Holy Communion. We also hold prayer meetings on a regular basis and St.Mary’s once again offers a place where people can come in times of grief or to celebrate life in private prayer.

As St.Mary’s becomes known throughout the country we have been pleased to host visiting parishes from afar to join with us for services.

One of the special occasions we look forward to is the annual mid-year service held in June to celebrate the saving and restoration of this ancient church. Last year we witnessed a record congregation for this service that saw 258 people attend the outdoor service - the interior of the ancient nave cannot accommodate much more than 60 people therefore outdoor services are held on these special occasions whenever possible.

Of particular note was the recent Orthodox ‘Service of the Prime’ we held. The service was adapted to fit in with what would have been consistent with that practised around the mid tenth century. Furthermore, to add to the atmosphere portions of this service were conducted in the Old English language – something the walls of our place of worship had not heard for over 900 years!

We are also welcoming an increasing number of visitors, from local people to tourists from as far away as the USA and China who have come here to visit or for private prayer.

In 1922 the last wedding blessing was conducted after which later in that year the church was left abandoned. Now that St.Marys has mainly been restored and has returned to a fully functioning church we were pleased to witness a wedding blessing on May the 1st 2004 – 82 years since the last one !

The above is all the more notable since the original community of Houghton-on-the-Hill that St.Mary’s served no longer exists – the village having been abandoned and the buildings destroyed over the course of time. The church lies approximately one and half miles (two kilometers) from the nearest village of North Pickenham. St.Mary’s now lies ‘off the beaten track’ and is accessed via a combination of paved country lanes and unpaved tracks bordering farmer’s fields.

We pause to reflect that St.Mary’s has served as a communal place of worship for more than 1350 years. It is the unique character of our church that we believe attracts people here and the lasting affection it generates upon them and whom take a piece of it away in their hearts.

And if there is an element of truth in this belief then we will have indeed succeeded as a part of our pastoral mission.

Anyone wishing to organize a service, for private prayer or to visit is welcome to contact the churchwarden, Robert Davey.