Church History

St George's Church is situated about 5 miles southeast of Gloucester on the northern edge of Brockworth in Gloucestershire, England. It is adjacent to Brockworth Court and Tithe Barn. This village church served a community of 200 around the turn of the twentieth century, but now acts as a parish church for the 10,000-15,000 people that live in Brockworth.

The church building is Grade I Listed and stands in a medium-sized churchyard. The church is small with seating for around 170 people. It is likely that a church has existed on this site since Saxon times.

It was built by the first resident Norman - Lord of the Manor, Roger de Chandos, in 1142. It was consecrated and then became one of the earliest Anglican parish churches in England to be dedicated to St George. About 1846, the church was renovated and restored at a cost of around £800.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the church was in a very bad state of repair.

Henry Yates Jones Taylor in his biography wrote:

“I remember Brockworth Church when it was in such a terrible of dilapidation that the walls were supported with trunks of elm trees. During that epoch of ecclesiastical degradation, I sat in a miserable pew and saw the sunbeams dance and quiver through the crevices or fissures of the old wall, which, through neglect, were losing their pristine cohesion. The services were cold, perfunctory and irreverent. The grandeur of the old arch solemnized the building which had a greater resemblance to a respectable barn than to a parish church sanctuary.”

In 1845, Thomas Fulgarries, architect, wrote a 'Report and Estimate' which would included “re-building the west wall, Buttresses, Plinth Arches, Reframing Nave and Porch Roof and purchasing open seats.”
The minutes of the Vestry meeting for 5th June 1846 records that:
“The church, which is in dilapidation, being investigated, it was agreed that the repairs should forthwith take place.”

Mr John Hubert, who later undertook the contract, attended and produced a specification and estimate. The total sum amounted to £263 10s 5D (£29,255) and it was agreed that this be accepted and the whole was referred to the Churchwardens “that the above work be carried out”.

At a further meeting on the 6th November 1846 the Vestry decided upon “taking down a portion of the tower of the said church, which is in dilapidated state, and re-building and raising the same to a higher elevation; and taking down the present pews in the said church and erect new ones in their stead, and taking down and removing the pulpit and reading desk and placing the same in a better and more convenient place in the said church, so as to afford additional accommodation for the inhabitants of the said parish attending divine Services in the said church”.
Mr Niblett carried out the contract for the price of £561 4s 0d (£62,167)

Before 1848 the church had a tower with a high-pitched roof, hipped on each side. A drawing of the church from that date has recently been turned into a pen and ink study for a mug.

The tower has a peal of six bells cast in 1849 by John Taylor, Bellfounders of Loughborough. The heaviest tenor bell, in the key of F, weighs 13cwt.

Electric lighting was installed in 1929.

An appeal fund was launched in 1977. The resulting restoration consisted of a new roof, repaired stonework, new altar and complete redecoration. Completed in 1981, this work cost £24,000.

More recently, work has been undertaken to create a lady chapel in the south transept area and to remove pews around the font to improve access.

FONT: Norman, with plain circular bowl
REREDOS: C19; sculpture in niches
SCREEN: C19 Ironwork
STAINED GLASS: E window by William Wailes, 1847

VISITING THE CHURCH:

The church is often open to visit Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm (depending on volunteer availability), however, please contact the church office to confirm if you are travelling a long way.

The church doesn't have any running water or toilets, and heating is minimal.

There is a large stone step into the church - if you need a ramp, one would have to be arranged in advance with the office (where a volunteer is available).

Address:

Roman Way (off Court Road), Brockworth, Gloucestershire, GL3 4QU

Please note Roman Way is not on most maps, but it is signed off Court Road.

What3words location: ///beams.shelving.poppy

The church building is not to be confused with St George's Church Centre (our other building on Court Road, just off the roundabout).

British Listed Building

St George's Church is a Grade I listed building, listed on 10 January 1955

For full listing information and more details on St. George's Church building, visit the British Listed Buildings website.

Surrounding area

Around 600AD the Saxons called our village "Brockwurthin" - the "Wurthin" (enclosure) by the "broc" (brook).
Brockworth Court was first inhabited by John Guise, the new Lord of the manor, in 1540. It had just been completed by Richard Hart, the last Abbot of Llantony Priory
Brockworth court Tythe barn was build around the 15th century and the size of the barn indicated the wealth of the Lord of the manor at the time – Llantony Priory
Brockworth Mill and Mill Farm were situated at the intersection of Mill Lane and Horsebere Brook. The Doomsday book of 1086 records a corn mill in Brockworth. In 1863 Witcombe reservoir was built and hence the Mill stopped working and fell into neglect
Abbotswood Farm is situated on land once owned by the Abbot of Gloucester, hence there was the Abbots Wood at Bocholte
Droys court was on land rented to Henry Le Droy by the Abbot of Gloucester in 1260
Castle Hill has never been proved to have a castle at the top of it
Coopers Hill is the venue for the famous Cheese rolling which started about 2000 years ago to maintain the grazing rights on Coopers Hill common
Ermin Street was built about 2000 years ago by the Romans to connect Gloucester to Cirencester. In 1698 it became the third turnpike (toll) road of England
Green street is also an ancient road (Salt way) thought to have been used to transport salt from Droitwich to the Cotswolds
Gloucester business park used to be an airfield where the first British jet engine aircraft (Gloster E28/39) took flight. It was developed to test the new Whittle jet engine in flight, the test results would influence the development of an operational fighter, the Gloster Meteor.

Vicars over the years

1575 Richard SAVAKER
1588 John WHITE
1602 Edward BROWNINGE
1604 Thomas POTTER
1610 James CLIFFORD
1627 Issac PENNINGTON
1654 Mr NEVEL
1660 Mr ROBINSON
1665 John SOMMERS
1713 John LAWRENCE
1726 William JONES
1730 John WALL
1747 George WALL
1757 John CHESTER
1810 Edward JONES
1824 Edward JONES
1847 Georges WATTS
1864 Robert Andrew BACHURST
1871 George ALLEN
1878 Samuel BARTLEET
1886 James Herbert SEABROOK
1941 Donald Ernest LEAVEY
1945 William Stanlet BUBB
1949 Edwin Eustace de Lacy MANN
1954 Lewis Stewart BRUCE
1976 Peter Henry NAYLOR
1995 Martin Michael ENNIS
2004 David Alan GILL
2012 Jane WALDEN
2020 Mike SMITH

Donate to the church

Help us keep St. George's open, secure and thriving

The tithes and donations you make to St. George's Church Brockworth don't just help us maintain the building and the history, they also help make a difference in the local area.
Every donation is very grateful received and honestly stewarded towards the work of St. Georges, not only in the church, but also in the community.

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What's on at St George's in 2026?

We're still a thriving church community, find out more...

Join us every Sunday for worship and community. Our 9am congregation gathers in the church building for Holy Communion, while our 10:30am gathering meets in the Church Centre. Whether you’ve been part of church for years or are exploring faith for the first time, you’ll find a warm welcome here.

Take a look around the website to learn more about our Sunday services, discover What’s On during the week, and explore opportunities to get involved.

If you’re new to church or planning your first visit, our Never Been to Church page has everything you need to know before you arrive.