St Nicholas' Church

St Nicholas' is the parish church, on Church Street, and it is open every day in daylight hours; in the church's own words, "to welcome the weary traveller". It is Grade I listed. The north aisle wall and the porch are 14th century, the chancel was rebuilt in the 15th and the nave in the 16th. The foundations of the abbey are in the churchyard, which is looked after under the Dorset Wildlife Trust's Living Churchyard scheme.

We are one of nine churches in the Bride Valley and Chesil benefice, with Portesham, Langton Herring, Corton, Littlebredy, Long Bredy, Burton Bradstock, Chilcombe and Litton Cheney. The rector is the Reverend Andrew Rawding, who lives at the Rectory in Burton Bradstock; ring 01308 898799, which is a Bridport number, so do not be put off by it. The benefice administrator is Helen Fry, 01308 897260, and the safeguarding officer is Les Keatley, 07833 545450. The old village site named Margaret Preuss-Higham as parish priest; she is not listed on A Church Near You now, so use the rector's number.

Because one rector covers nine churches there is not a service here every Sunday. The pattern at the moment is Parish Communion at 11am on the first Sunday of the month, about three quarters of an hour, and Morning Praise at 10am on the third Sunday, about an hour. Nothing is listed for the other Sundays. The next ones are Sunday 4 October at 11am, 18 October at 10am, 1 November at 11am and 15 November at 10am. There is also a weekday communion with a light lunch on the first Wednesday of the month at 11.30am at St Mary's, Burton Bradstock. Check A Church Near You before you come; that calendar is the one the church keeps up to date. Remembrance Sunday and the Candles service are not on it yet.

After many years of silence the bells are rung again, two Sundays a month and for weddings. No contact for the ringers is published; ask at a service.

The Friends of St Nicholas is a separate charity that raises money for the building. It has paid for the lead on the roof after it was stolen, the clock, the gates, the sound system, and smaller things like the urns, curtains and large print books. It runs the Open Gardens and Festival of Landscape Art in June and Candles on St Catherine's Hill in November. Membership forms are in the church. Email [email protected] or ring 07710 995994.

01308 898799, Service times, The benefice, Friends of St Nicholas

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