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St Philip and St James Church, Up Hatherley
St Philip and St James Church, Up Hatherley
	51°53′08″N 2°7′21″W / 51.88556°N 2.12250°W
Location	Cold Pool Lane, Up Hatherley, Cheltenham
Country	England, United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14268/
History
Status	Active
Dedication	Saint Philip, Saint James
Consecrated	27 April 1886
Architecture
Functional status	Parish Church
Heritage designation	Grade II listed building
Years built	1885-86
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Gloucester
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Father Mark L. Catherall SSC

St Philip and St James, Up Hatherley is the Church of England parish church in Up Hatherley, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Gloucester. The present church is a Grade II listed building and has been a centre for worship since 1886.^[1]

Dedication

The church is dedicated to the Apostles St Philip and St James. Their feast day is 1 May.

History

Up Hatherley has been a site of Christian worship since Saxon times, with a documented deed from 1022 that was witnessed by the Bishop of Worcester and the Archbishop of York. The year 1291, as recorded in Pope Nicholas IV's taxation records, further attests to the presence of a church building in Up Hatherley. Unfortunately, in 1640, the church faced destruction by fire, compelling the local community to seek worship in Shurdington for an extended period.

The foundation stone of the present St Philip and St James Church was laid in 1885, owing to the benevolence of Mrs Laura Gretton, who covered the entire cost of construction. The Reverend W. H. Gretton, her husband, had provided the land for this new structure. Originally conceived as a private chapel near Mrs Gretton's residence due to her declining health, overwhelming requests from Up Hatherley residents prompted her to decide on a separate church.

Consecrated on Easter Tuesday in 1886 by the Bishop of Gloucester, the original church followed a thirteenth-century Gothic style, accommodating around 150 worshippers. Designed by Messrs J. H. Middleton, H. A. Prothero, and G. H. Philpot, the church utilized local stone. An organ, crafted by Cheltenham resident Mr A. J. Price, was installed in 1900.

In 1985, responding to the area's population growth, a significant extension project commenced. Consecrated by the Bishop of Gloucester on Saturday 21 September 1985, the new extension involved the removal of the south nave wall, the addition of a large bay, and a reorientation of the seating to a north–south axis. The capacity of the church was expanded to approximately 180 worshippers, and a Church Centre was integrated to provide additional facilities for both the church and the local community.

To ensure aesthetic harmony with the original design, Mr Ron Sims, an ecclesiastical architect from York, spearheaded the interior reordering. This included the installation of a soundproof screen and staircase to an upper meeting room.