Cheltenham Minster, St Mary's

Cheltenham Minster (formerly St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham)
Cheltenham Minster
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Evangelical
Website	[1]
History
Dedication	St. Mary
Administration
Parish	Cheltenham
Diocese	Diocese of Gloucester
Clergy
Rector	Tudor Griffiths
Vicar(s)	Patrick Wheaton

Coordinates: 51°54′5.65″N 2°4′34.64″W / 51.9015694°N 2.0762889°W / 51.9015694; -2.0762889

Cheltenham Minster, St Mary's (Grid reference: SO 947225) is a minster and the parish church of Cheltenham.

The Minster is the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham. It has been in continuous use for 850 years, though between 1859 and 1877 it was closed intermittently for repairs.

It is believed to have replaced a Saxon church erected on this site in the 8th century. In the Domesday Book the church and its land (the rectory) were recorded as belonging to William the Conqueror's chancellor, Regenbald also known as Reinbald, who then bequeathed it to Cirencester Abbey. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII it became crown property during the English Reformation. The crown property was sold by James I & VI and went through a succession of different owners (lay rectors) until 1863 when Edward Walker took possession of the chancel and the title of rector.