We have 3 Images Above Photograph(s)
Copyright of Alf Beard

Church of St Arild, Virgin & Martyr,
Oldbury on the Hill, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

This Church had a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in the 13th century, though it is now closed, but we don't yet know when.

Arthur Mee's The King's England - Gloucestershire tells us that:

"Oldbury on the Hill... is over the fields from Didmarton and has nothing but its church to see - used once a year, we are told. The little tower has stood four centuries and has a fine moulded arch. The porch has a scratch dial and several pilgrim crosses, and the medieval east window has a fragment of medieval glass. Here is one of the old-fashioned two-decker pulpits for the parson and his clerk, an old altar table and ancient rails; and the primitive little chalice font is perhaps the oldest possession."

It is not known whether the tradition of holding a service once a year is still observed; however the Church is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, and is still open daily to visitors. It is also Grade II Listed - see the British Listed Buildings website for details. According to Kelly's Directory of 1923, the entire parish of Oldbury on the Hill was amalgamated with Didmarton in 1883, so it is possible the church has been closed for services since then, though Kelly does also say that it was still being used for burials.

There may be more information available by by selecting one or more of the accompanying images on the right.

Denomination

Now or formerly Church of England.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church was located at OS grid reference ST8187588222. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Church of St Arild, Virgin & Martyr, Oldbury on the Hill shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Oldbury on the Hill shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Oldbury on the Hill, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Preserving “irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology and art from 1,000 years of history” - Churches Conservation Trust (null) (verified 2018-10-07)
• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.