Welcome to the Parish Church of Amesbury in South Wiltshire. In and around Amesbury the church is referred to in various ways - 'the Parish Church', 'St Mary and St Melor' or 'Amesbury Abbey Church'. Understanding the name will help avoid confusion as you explore our website:
Sunday Services:
Holy Communion - 8 am
Parish Communion - 10 am
(First Sunday in month - Family Service 10 am followed by Holy Communion at 10.45 am)
Evensong 4 pm in winter, 6 pm in summer
The daily offices are held at 8.45 am
Amesbury is a small but expanding market town situated on the southern fringe of Salisbury Plain some eight miles north of the city of Salisbury. The ancient monument of Stonehenge lies just to te northwest of the town.
This area of southern Wiltshire is steeped in history, having been inhabited from earliest times as can be seen by Stonehenge, Old Sarum, Vespasian's camp just up the road from the church, and a rolling landscape dotted with ancient burial mounds from many different eras, from stone to bronze age.
Perhaps it has always been an area of significance in military terms - today being surrounded by Army camps with the training areas on Salisbury Plain to the north and the historic RAF Boscombe Down - home to the Empire Test Pilots' School and current test flying.
Sun 3 June - Pentecost Sunday - Open Air Service at the Celtic Cross, followed by picnic on the Junior School field
Sun 17 June - Battle of the Organs - 6.50 pm after Evensong
With the church organ and two spares at present in the church and three organists to play them the temptation was too much to resist. The piece-de-resistance had to be the Wild West Widor - Gareth determinedly persisted with the Toccata while David and Mike played at 'white hats and black hats' - including the extra-terrestrial Star Wars Theme!! Many thanks to all three, for a wonderful demonstration of the various organs and styles.Sat 23 June - Salisbury Cathedral Open Day - 12.30-5.00 pm - see and try the day-to-day activities of a living cathedral
Fri 29 June - Amesbury-Boscombe Down Link Coffee Morning - Melor Hall
The Amesbury Parish News comes out at the start of each month and includes news of recent and forthcoming events in and around the parish. Items of community interest and notes from the Vicar are also included as are some thought-provoking articles and pieces on the history of Amesbury and the local community.
Items for the magazine are always welcomed, especially those with a connection to Amesbury. The magazine is available by subscription, at the local post office and at the church, at a cost of 20p per month. For more details on subscriptions or submitting items contact us by e-mail or on 01980 626378.
The Friends of Amesbury Abbey Church was founded in 1985 to assist the Parochial Church Council in raising funds for the repair, restoration and maintenance of the historic, medieval parish church of Amesbury.
If you live or work in Amesbury, then this lovely medieval church is part of the history of your community. If you were baptised or married in the church, then it is part of your family history. You may be one of the many thousands so people who visit it and are delighted to find peace and tranquillity with in this dignified building. At least 700 years old, past generations have cherished and preserved it so that it is here for us to enjoy and use today. We believe we have a responsibility to maintain it in such a way that it is preserved for future generations.
They are a group of people who are concerned about the future of this fine building and are raising money to ensure that it will be saved. The Friends also work to create more interest in the building so that it is used more extensively. They plan to add to the beauty of the interior of the church. Since its formation, the group has raised thousands of pounds, created interest in the building and promoted many interesting and exciting events that have taken place in the church.
With any ancient building there is always routine work; repairs to roofs, guttering and windows and to walls and decoration. The repair costs come to several thousands of pounds a year and these are paid for by the Friends.
