St Gregory's Church

St Gregory’s Church stands at the corner of St James’ Square and Clarence Street in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Founded in 1809, the present building was rebuilt between 1854 and 1857 to designs by Charles Hansom. A Grade II* listed Gothic Revival church, it replaced an earlier chapel guided by Fr Augustine Birdsall OSB. The tower and spire were finished in 1876, and the church was consecrated the following year. Hardman & Co created the stained glass, while Farmer & Brindley made the altar and reredos. Much of the interior carving came from Messrs R. L. Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham. The church belongs to the parish of St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More. After St Thomas More Church was demolished in 2011, its hall was enlarged to include a sacristy, a chapel and community rooms. The parish now holds three Sunday Masses at St Gregory’s and one on Saturday evenings at the centre on Princess Elizabeth Way. The chancel organ was installed in 1986 by Sebastian Blank, and a second organ from 1866, originally built by ‘Father’ Willis, was moved here in 2023. Inside, the Gothic arches rise above the nave and chancel, lit by tall lancet windows. The altar and reredos stand at the east end beneath a canopy of carved foliage. The chancel organ occupies its own recess, while the west-gallery organ fills the gallery with warm tones. Outside, the completed tower and spire mark the skyline of central Cheltenham.