St. Peter's and St. Mary's Parish Church

About

St Peter and St Mary's is an Anglican church in Stowmarket, Suffolk. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and the archdeaconry of Ipswich. Its earliest parts date from medieval times.On 28 July 1950 the church was designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage. The nave, aisles and chancel date from the mid-14th century. The west tower is mid-15th century ("new" in 1453) as are the clerestory and the north and south porches. The spire was re-built in 1712. The church was restored in 1825, a vestry added in 1855, the tower restored in 1894 and the spire removed in 1975. A new spire, with St Peter's keys in gold upon it, was added in 1994. The Domesday Book indicates a population of 650 for Thorney (Thorney Island) - the original name for Stowmarket, and refers to a "mother church", "a chapel" and "a market". It is likely that the mother church was an Anglo Saxon Minster church, with several clergy. This notion is supported by the large endowment of glebeland of 120acres which supported the clergy. The Domesday book also mentions "the church at Stow" in the entry for nearby Onehouse.

Feel free to step inside and marvel at the beauty of the Church and to relax with a tea or coffee, a cake or meal in the cool and calm of the Osier in Church café (see below for opening times).

Every year, beginning in late November, we hold our Christmas Tree Festival which is arguably the biggest in East Anglia and which is spead over several venues around the town. Admission is free although we do appreciate donations very much to support the event. Details of opening times and registration for tree decorators can be found on our website www.stowmarketparishchurch.co.uk . Also watch out for details on our website and our Facebook page of the forthcoming comedy show by Paul Kerensa and Paul Tonkinson on Saturday 3rd December 2022.

Please note: The opening times shown are for the Church Office only and Sunday is for Morning Service. The Church building itself and the Osier in Church Café are open Tuesday to Saturday 0900 to 1515.

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