St Swithun's Church Worcester Portrait of a Parish
By Pat Hughes
Paperback Published November 2025
Often described as a remarkable survival of Georgian church architecture, St Swithun’s Church with its full and fascinating history dating back to at least 1126, has been brought to life in eloquent and detailed fashion by one of Worcester’s leading social historians, Pat Hughes.
Its story is a portrait of the parish and its people set against the background of the church’s music, liturgy and teaching as well as its construction, architecture, upkeep and renewal.
Told in part through the records of local families available in the Worcestershire County Archives, it reflects the concerns of each successive age including the Black Death , the Reformation, the Gunpowder Plot, the relief of the poor through to the growth of the city in the 19th and 29th centuries. St Swithun’s closed as a church in 1977 after 850 years of Christian worship, but the building continues in use primarily ad an arts/music venue.
Contents:
Introduction
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. The First Four Centuries
Chapter 2. The 16th Century 1500-1558
Chapter 3. The 16th Century 1558-1599
Chapter 4. The 17th Century 1600-1660
Chapter 5. The 17th Century 1660-1700
Chapter 6. Society in the 17th Century and 18th Century
Chapter 7. The 18th Century 1700-1735
Chapter 8. The 18th Century 1735-1800
Chapter 9. The 19th Century 1800-1840s
Chapter 10. The 19th Century 1840s-1899
Chapter 11. The 20th Century 1900-1913
Chapter 12. The 20th Century 1913-1977
Chapter 13. Biographies of The 20th Century
Chapter 14. The Friends of St Swithun's
Chapter 15. What of the future?
Appendix 1: The Bells
Appendix 2: The Existing Organ
References
About the Author
About the Contributors
Index
Pre-ordered copies will be posted on Monday 1st December 2025.
Pre-ordered copies will be signed by Pat Hughes.
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