The Church of St Lawrence in Mickleton is an Anglican Parish Church that is part of the Vale and Cotswold Edge Benefice. There are two other parishes in the group, Chipping Campden (including Broad Campden) and Ebrington, with three other churches. A parish is the basic territorial unit in the Church of England, whereas the benefice is a group of parishes, under the care of a single stipendiary (paid) minister. The Vicar or cleric in charge of the Vale and Cotswold Edge Benefice is based at St James’s Church, Chipping Campden.
St Lawrence (225-258), the patron Saint of Mickleton church, was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, under Pope St Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258. As deacon in Rome, St Lawrence was responsible for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor. St Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, and therefore, the ranking Church official, suffered a martyr's death on 10 August 258 at the age of 32 (now his feast day). He was made a Saint for his devotion to the poor and his courage.
There has been a church and place of Christian worship in Mickleton since at least the 10th century. Information that can be seen in the church states that in 960 King Edgar bestowed the Manor and Church of Mickleton on the Saxon warrior Brithnotus. Brithnotus in turn passed them on to Aethelmere, Earl of Devon, who endowed it, among other things, with the advowson of Mickleton Church (the right to nominate a person to be parish priest) to the Abbey of Eynsham. Brithnotus, King Edgar and Aethelmere are depicted in a window by the High Alter in the church.
There is a list of incumbents (Rectors and Vicars) from 1180 to the present day displayed in the church. However, from 2003 the church became part of a group of local parish churches and the vicar in charge no longer resided in the village. Opposite the church in Church Lane is The Old Vicarage. This was built in 1805 and was home to the vicars of St Lawrence up until it was sold in 1996 by the diocesan authorities. A more modern house was purchased for use of the vicar in Ballard close but this too ceased to be used as the vicarage after 2003.
The church is a Grade 1 listed building and is said to be both interesting and attractive to the eye. The oldest parts of the present church are Norman and date from the twelfth century. It has since been added to, altered and restored many times in subsequent centuries. The Nave was built in 1150-1180 and was extended west and the aisles rebuilt on a larger scale in the 13th/14th centuries. Other additions are the west tower (14th century), chancel and a clerestory to the nave - an upper part of the nave containing as series of windows - (15th century), and south porch (17th century). The porch contains an upper chamber with a barrel-roof and fire place that was used as a school room until a new school was built in 1857. It is now sometimes used for services especially in the winter. A restoration of the church was carried out in 1868 by Frederick Preedy.
Frederick Preedy (1820-1898) was an architect and stained glass painter. He was a local man being born in Offenham and spending his early life in Fladbury. He trained as an architect in Worcester and set up his own architectural practice there. In 1860, he moved the business to London. He is thought to be the only architect of his time who also both designed and made his stained-glass windows. His legacy includes windows in Worcester and Gloucester Cathedrals. There is a memorial to him in the church of St John the Baptist, Fladbury.
Some notable internal features of St Lawrence are said to be the font (1661) and its cover (largely 1992), the 19th century window behind the High Altar, fine crucifixes of the 12th and early 20th centuries, the 17th century pulpit and 19th century lectern, the 17th century High Altar rails, the 20th century kneelers worked by parishioners (three volumes recoding the kneeler project are on display in the church), the 14th century broach spire (holding 8 bells with various dates and founders - oldest 1668 - heaviest (tenor in E) 15.75 cwt), the organ by Holdich of London (1853) and gallery (1931), and a new stained glass window that was dedicated in 2014 to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.
The church and particularly its graceful spire, topped with a recently restored golden weathercock, is a dominant feature in the village. The spire is 90 feet high (some 27.4 meters) and towers above the houses and tree tops in the village. It's readily visible from the surrounding area, and is particularly striking when looking down towards the village from the Cotswold escarpment.
The Methodist Church is the fourth largest Christian Church in Britain. It derives its inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley (1703-1791). The Methodist Church is traditionally known as non-conformist because it does not conform to the rules and authority of the established Church of England. The term Methodist refers to the methodical way in which the Christian faith is carried out. John Wesley used the term Methodist himself to mean the methodical pursuit of biblical holiness. The Wesley’s must have known Mickleton. John Wesley himself is reputed to have preached in the locality but not, as far as is known, in Mickleton. However, his brother Charles is thought to have stayed in the Vicarage.
Wesleyan Methodists had met together in Mickleton since at least 1812 and the Chapel in Chapel Lane was built in 1891. The six foundation stones being laid in May. These can still be seen, engraved with the names of the people who laid them, on the front of the building. The chapel was officially opened in September. The land had been given to the Church in 1887, and the final cost of the building was £750. Extensive repair work was undertaken in the 1950's and a service of rededication was conducted in 1956 when the work was completed.
The Chapel is a rather plain red brick building, with little decoration either inside or on the exterior. It dates from 1891 and is by Fredrick Foster of Leamington. The style has been described as indeterminate Gothic. The exterior of the building is little changed although at one time it was surrounded by trees but these were cut down in 1935 to leave the view we see today. The gate pillars would originally have had an oil lamp on the top but these have now been removed. Alight, these would have made a striking feature at night bearing in mind there would have been no street lighting in the village.
Originally, the ministers had rooms in a house in the village. In 1926 plans were made for a manse and a site brought. A manse is a clergy house inhabited by a minister, which is usually used in context of a Methodist or other non-Anglican denomination. Conversely, the Anglican minister in Mickleton inhabited the Vicarage. The Manse house, which is next to the Chapel, was first occupied by a minister in 1953. It is now a private residence.
Mickleton was also home in the 1980/90s to a spiritualist come quasi-religious group called the Emissaries of Divine Light. At the time their presence, initially at least, caused quite a lot of “interest” in the village and from the local press and television. The group had been founded by Lloyd Arthur Meeker, an American, in 1932. The headquarters of Emissaries of Divine Light were established in 1945 at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, and there are now also other centres around the world. Presumably Mickleton was one of them at the time. At around the time the group was in Mickleton it was being led by the 7th and then subsequently the 8th Marquesses of Exeter; Meeker having died in 1954 in a plane crash. The Marquess of Exeter’s family name is Cecil and are descendants of William Cecil, the chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth 1st.
The group were based in Mickleton House on the High Street and built a large meeting hall to the rear. However, its use was restricted as it did not have the necessary planning permission for religious meetings; Mickleton House had had permission for use as a Hotel. The group also had a number of other properties in the village which were used by the followers. In addition, members of the group also managed the Three Ways Hotel (now the Three Ways House Hotel), and were instrumental in establishing the Pudding Club. Mickleton House and the meeting hall have subsequently been converted into private residential properties.