St Mary
Upper Swainswick, Somerset
Our tiny 12th century church nestles on the edge of the most beautiful valley on the southern edge of the Cotswolds.
All Saints, Woolley was built on the site of a previous chapel in 1761. The work was commissioned the owner of the nearby Gunpowder Factory. The church is
of national significance as one of only two churches built by John Wood the Younger, one of the principal architects of Georgian Bath. John Wood the Elder (who built only one
church, demolished in the 1800s) is buried at St Mary's Swainswick, the sister church of All Saints, so the two churches together contain important elements of Bath's
history.
The church has a nave and apsidal sanctuary topped by a small bell tower with an octagonal cupola .Within the church is a plaque giving thanks for the safe return of all 13 men
from the village who fought in World War I and 15 in World War II, making it one of the few double Thankful villages. In the 1970s the church underwent significant restoration funded by local residents.
