St. Andrew's Church in

Whitminster __NOTOC__ Whitminster is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, and on the A38 trunk road approximately south of Gloucester and north-west of Stroud. The parish population at the 2011 census was 881. The hamlet of Wheatenhur ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

is a village church constructed from

Cotswold stone The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

The church site dates from 1086, although no part of the surviving fabric is visibly older than the 14th century. It was enlarged in 1842 to include a north aisle, designed by

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

architect Thomas Foster, the tower was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in 1844 and various other areas in 1884 by Sir A.W. Blomfeld, with the externals remaining mostly unchanged from that date. It currently has a peel of 6 bells, the earliest of which dates from 1634. It is one of only a few churches in Gloucestershire to retain a traditional

Stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...

, a stone basin used to hold

Holy Water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

. The OS Bench Mark on the tower puts the base at 12.7 metres above mean sea level. The parish is part of the Stroudwater Team

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

within the

Diocese of Gloucester The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province ...

References

Grade II* listed churches in Gloucestershire {{England-church-stub