Worship
Parish Eucharist following Common Worship, including hymns, is celebrated each Sunday at 11am.
Our choir leads the singing of the Gloria, Sanctus and Benedictus. Incense is usually used but our rite could not be described as very high church.
There are changes to the normal pattern at certain times, especially Easter, Remembrance Sunday and Christmas. We usually have a joint service in the benefice for the fifth Sunday of the month.
Link to: St Thomas’s History
History
We are open for visitors every day
The church is dedicated to St Thomas the Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in his cathedral on 29th December 1170. We celebrate our patronal festival on the Sunday nearest to 7th July, which is the anniversary of the translation of his remains to a special chapel in the cathedral in 1220. The chapel was dismantled in 1538 on the orders of Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII.
Link to: Stained Glass by Douglas Strachan
Stained Glass
The stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan were part of a series of gifts made to the Church between 1929 and 1933 by Lord Blanesburgh, a senior lawyer and member of the Younger family who lived at Greyfriars. Strachan is considered to be the last of the great stained-glass artists of the Arts and Crafts era. There are many of his windows in Scotland, not least in Paisley Abbey and at the National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. His Winchelsea windows are arguably the best complete set in England.
Friends of Winchelsea Church
The Friends of Winchelsea Church is an unincorporated charity, established by Trust Deed, whose charitable objects are to:
- Arouse and foster interest in the parish church at Winchelsea
- Cooperate with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) in the preservation and improvement of the fabric, furniture, stained glass and monuments of the church and churchyard.
Our Charities
We make a special collection each month for local charities, including
Demelza House Children’s Hospice
Snowflake Night Shelter Hastings
Church of England
