St Peter's Church
Parwich Church goes back many centuries, although we know very little
about its origins. Some parts of the previous Norman church are to be
found in the present building, such as the unusual tympanum
and the time-worn heads in the chapel behind the organ. The present building
is a good example of the widespread rebuilding of churches which took
place in the second half of the nineteenth century, and its prominent
spire dominates the village.
The church today is a thriving centre of community and worship. There is a service every Sunday, as follows:
- On the first Sunday of every month a new service, Parwich Praise, takes place in the Memorial Hall at 10.00 am. This makes full use of contemporary forms of worship and is suitable for young and old alike. It is followed by breakfast. There is also a service of evensong (Book of Common Prayer) in the church at 6.30 pm.
- On the second Sunday in the month there is a communion service (modern language) at 9.30 am.
- On the third Sunday at 10.00 am there is a Family Service, which lasts around 40 minutes and is followed by coffee and drinks for the children.
- On the fourth Sunday of every month a traditional communion service is held in the church using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, including some of the music of Merbecke.
For current service times click here.
The services at Christmas and Easter and for Harvest Festival and Remembrance Day, are important dates in the village calendar.
A lively junior church group meets after school every Monday during term time in the village hall.
Over the many centuries that Parwich has been inhabited, many individuals and families have spread out over the world and found new homes as far away as Australia and the United States of America. Many of the descendents of these have now began to look back towards their origins, wanting to know more about the places their ancestors came from. We recognise that here in Parwich we have a tremendous store of historical and family information which may be of help to those of such a quest. We are therefore in the process of building up an archive, with the help of the Parwich Historical Society (www.parwichhistory.com), of historical documents for this site (Do have a look at Thompson's notes on the rebuilding of the church -- nothing is ever without controversy!). We are also making available a searchable database of the names of those buried in the Churchyard. On our Make Contact page, we also offer opportunities for those who have a connection with the village to follow it up with closer contact, and we will soon be adding a database of births and marriages in the village.
We hope you enjoy this site and will revisit it frequently as we will be continually adding information and news from the village. If you would like to visit the village, our Parwich Businesses Page includes information of holiday cottages available in the village.
If you would like to visit the church and need extra help, please see the page Getting Here.