Welcome to St Mary's

Welcome to the website for the Church of England Parish of Barnard Castle with Whorlton in County Durham.

Welcome

Revd Canon Alec Harding

Vicar

As a traditional country parish we seek to be faithful in our worship of God as we know Him in Jesus and in sharing in His mission.  We aim to embrace all with His love and can assure you of a warm welcome at any of our services. Our hope is that you will find here something of the atmosphere of prayer and thanksgiving which is so characteristic of our historic English churches if and when you visit us.

Both of our church buildings are much loved and full of the stories of the people and places in which they are set: we are proud of the inheritance of faith passed down to us by previous generations of Christians and, like them, seek to be faithful witnesses to Christ in our own lives.

 

Clergy Message for October 24

 

New porch windows to be installed at Barnard Castle

Church to be closed to visitors whilst work takes place

The Vicar and churchwardens are delighted that the ‘Windows for the King’ are ready for installation in the porch of St. Mary’s Barnard Castle.
Unfortunately, as there will be scaffolding erected in the porch for work to take place, it will not be possible to access the church during this period.
The church will therefore be closed to visitors from Tuesday 29th October till Friday 1st November (inclusive)
Once in place the windows will be covered until their formal unveiling by Dr Fiona Hill On Wednesday 6th November 2024 (1.30pm: all welcome)

Worship with us

If you would like to come to one of our services or learn more about the Christian faith

Find out what's happening in church and sign up for our new digital newsletter

Exploring the heritage of St Mary’s

St Mary’s Parish Church is a Grade 1 listed building and dates from 1130.  That’s a long time and a lot has happened here!

Explore the History section  to find out more, or if you are in church, pick up a leaflet from the display stand.

Why not start with the 12 things to see ?

Please help us to maintain this historic church by making a donation, using the button at the top of the page, or in church via the card reader or wall safe.

Much of the heritage information on this website is the result of our Windows to the World partnership project with local archaeologists, DigVentures, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Windows to the World

What's On

20.10.24 and 17.11.24 at 10.30am

Approximately once a month specific prayers for healing (with the laying on of hands and anointing) are offered for individuals at our 10.30am services at Barnard Castle. The laying on... Learn more ›

6 October, 20 October, 3 November, 17 November, 8 December, 22 December at 10.30am

We offer two ‘Junior Church’ sessions each month, held in St Margaret’s Chapel in the North Aisle during the 10.30am Sunday morning service.  Children are encouraged to attend the session... Learn more ›

Saturday 19th October 7.00pm

St Mary’s Community Orchestra present a concert of music from the movies, shows, classics, pops and more. Bar opens 6.30pm Free Entry. Donations welcome. Learn more ›

Visit Us

If you are interested in exploring one of our churches, want to light a candle or pray, or just get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life you might find our Visitor FAQs helpful in planning your trip.