A church at the heart of Hook Norton for over 900 years
You are very welcome here
Whether you're a lifelong churchgoer, exploring faith for the first time, or simply curious — there's a place for you at St Peter's. We're a friendly community of all ages, and we'd love to meet you.
🛡️ Safeguarding: Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Mrs Jenny Mead. If you have a safeguarding concern, please contact her or speak to the Rector, Revd Janet Faull. In an emergency, always call 999. Read our full safeguarding policy →
Services This Week
Events This Week
Upcoming Events
News & Stories
Get in Touch
We'd love to hear from you
Whether you'd like to know more about our services, want to discuss a baptism, wedding or funeral, or just want to say hello — please do get in touch.
Address St Peter's Church High Street, Hook Norton Banbury, OX15 5NH
We want your visit to St Peter's to feel easy and welcoming. Here's everything you need to know.
A warm welcome awaits
Coming to church for the first time — or the first time in a while — can feel like a big step. Please know that there are no expectations, no tests, and no pressure. Just come as you are.
Our main Sunday service starts at 10:30am. You're welcome to arrive a few minutes early. Someone will greet you at the door, show you to a seat, and hand you any service booklets. If you have children, they're very welcome — there's no such thing as a child being too noisy here.
After the service we always have tea and coffee — a great chance to meet people. Please do stay.
St Peter's, Hook Norton
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Finding us
St Peter's is on the High Street in the heart of Hook Norton village. Open in Google Maps ↗
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Parking
There is street parking on the High Street and in the village centre nearby. The church itself does not have a dedicated car park.
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Accessibility
The church has step-free access via the main porch. If you need any particular assistance, please do call ahead and we'll make sure everything is ready.
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Families & children
Children are wholeheartedly welcome at all our services. We have activity bags for younger ones, and families with babies or toddlers should never feel self-conscious.
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What to wear
Come exactly as you are. There is no dress code and no expectation. Some people dress up; plenty don't. What matters is that you're here.
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Taking communion
You are welcome to receive communion regardless of your background. If you prefer, simply cross your arms over your chest to receive a blessing instead — both are equally welcome.
Our Services
We offer a range of services throughout the week. Everyone is welcome at any of them.
Church Life
St Peter's is much more than Sunday services. Here's a taste of community life at the church.
History & Heritage
St Peter's has stood at the heart of Hook Norton for close to a thousand years. It is the only Grade I listed building in the parish — a remarkable survivor whose tower has marked the rhythms of village life across the centuries.
St Peter's Hook Norton
An Ancient Parish Church
St Peter's is the oldest building in Hook Norton and the only Grade I listed building in the parish. It dates back before the Norman Conquest — though with little new building after 1500, what we see today is primarily the creation of the fifteenth century. The tower is a defining local landmark that, as historian Donald Ratcliffe has written, "springs into view from the most surprising angles" across the Hook Norton countryside.
When Margaret Dickins published her pioneering History of Hook Norton in 1928, she wrote that "the history of St Peter's is the history of Hook Norton." For close to a thousand years, St Peter's played far more than a religious role: it was a legal, social, economic and cultural institution at the heart of village life. The parish appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and records of the church's clergy extend back to 1224.
Through the Middle Ages the church's ecclesiastical manor was controlled by Oseney Abbey in Oxford. After the Dissolution in the late 1530s, authority passed to the newly created Diocese of Oxford — previously it had been under the Bishop of Lincoln. The church's central role was later challenged by various Nonconformist congregations; in the 1851 religious census more Hook Norton worshippers attended the Nonconformist chapels than the parish church. St Peter's has nonetheless remained the spiritual home of Hook Norton's Anglican community without interruption to the present day.
The Story of the Parish Church
After Henry VIII's break with Rome in the 1530s, the parish church was reformed along Protestant lines — the first of several transformations in how worship was conducted at St Peter's. The Civil War of 1642–1646 brought further upheaval, with dissenting sects taking root alongside the established church. By 1683 the Bishop of Oxford recorded 36 Baptists and 18 Quakers in the parish. The Toleration Act of 1689 gave these Nonconformist congregations the right to meet for worship, beginning a tradition of religious diversity that has enriched the village ever since.
The nineteenth century brought significant change to St Peter's. Even as Parliament stripped the church of its centuries-old civic functions — passing probate and matrimonial jurisdiction to secular courts in 1857–58, and replacing the parish vestry with a secular Parish Council in 1894 — the congregation flourished. Despite real competition from the Nonconformist chapels (in the 1851 religious census, 277 attended Anglican services compared with 391 at the four Nonconformist chapels), historian Donald Ratcliffe notes that "St Peter's became a lively centre of social life for its adherents" during this Victorian era.
The First World War (1914–1918) brought great loss to Hook Norton, and St Peter's became a place of remembrance for those who did not return. In 1919 a Parochial Church Council took charge of Anglican parish affairs. Through the twentieth century, as religious observance declined nationally, St Peter's maintained its life as a worshipping community. Today it continues as the oldest and most enduring institution in the parish — welcoming worshippers, ringing its bells, and remaining at the heart of village life.
Points of Interest
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The Tower
The Perpendicular tower — primarily the creation of the fifteenth century — is the parish's most prominent landmark. As historian Donald Ratcliffe has written, it "springs into view from the most surprising angles" across the surrounding countryside. It is the only Grade I listed building in Hook Norton. The tower houses the church's ring of bells, still rung regularly by an active team of bell ringers for services and special occasions.
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The Wall Paintings
St Peter's is home to medieval wall paintings, documented as part of the Hook Norton village history project. The parish also retains a remarkable piece of domestic history: around 1610, a householder close to the old village centre had religious texts painted on the plaster of his bedroom wall. These survive as a rare and protected example of this intimate domestic religious practice — a vivid illustration of how deeply faith permeated everyday life in the parish.
The church's records of its clergy are exceptionally complete, with a documented list of Hook Norton's Vicars and Rectors extending back to 1224 — a sequence of nearly 800 years. This makes St Peter's one of the best-documented parish churches in Oxfordshire. The full list, compiled by historian Donald Ratcliffe, covers the period from 1224 to 2015.
The baptismal font is one of the oldest features of the building, dating from the Norman period. Fonts of this age were designed to be immovable — literally fixed to the ground — as a symbol of the permanence of baptism. Thousands of people have been baptised here over the centuries, including many generations of Hook Norton families.
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Oseney Abbey & the Parish Manor
Through the Middle Ages, the ecclesiastical manor of Hook Norton was held by Oseney Abbey — one of the great Augustinian monasteries of medieval England, situated in Oxford. The Abbey exercised significant influence over the parish for some three centuries before its Dissolution in the late 1530s. Ecclesiastical authority then passed to the newly created Diocese of Oxford under the Bishop of Oxford; previously it had been under the Bishop of Lincoln.
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The Bell Ringers
St Peter's has a long tradition of bell ringing, maintained by an active team who ring for Sunday services and to mark special occasions. Ringing boards within the church record notable peals achieved by the Hook Norton ringers across the years — a tangible record of this ancient craft, which has accompanied worship at St Peter's for centuries.
In an emergency, always call 999. If you are concerned about immediate risk of harm, do not wait — contact the police or emergency services straight away.
Our commitment
The following policy was agreed at the District Church Council meeting held on 30th April 2024, in accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy.
Our church is committed to:
Promoting a safer environment and culture.
Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.
Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
What the parish will do
Create a safe and caring place for all.
Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the DCC to implement policy and procedures.
Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.
Display in church premises and on the front page of the parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.
Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.
Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and statutory agencies immediately.
Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.
Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.
Ensure that all adults working with children, young people or vulnerable adults will have taken suitable training and had a DBS check.
Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.
Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church. This policy is reviewed annually.
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