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Aparish church in theChurch of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes called theecclesiastical parish, to avoid confusion with thecivil parish which many towns and villages have).
In many English villages the church is a prominent landmark and its tower is often the tallest structure in the settlement.
In England, there are parish churches for both the Church of England and theRoman Catholic Church. References to a "parish church", without mention of a denomination, will, however, usually be to those of the Church of England due to its status as theEstablished Church. This is generally true also forWales, although theChurch in Wales isdis-established.
The Church of England is made up of parishes, each one forming part of adiocese. Almost every part of England is within both a parish and a diocese (there are very few non-parochial areas and some parishes not in dioceses). These ecclesiastical parishes are often no longer the same as thecivil parishes in local government. Larger towns and cities, even those with cathedrals, still have ecclesiastical parishes and parish churches.
Each parish is ministered to by aparish priest, usually called avicar,rector or priest-in-charge. More rarely the parish priest is known as a "perpetual curate". In one instance only the priest is also, by historical custom, officially known as an "archpriest".[1] Each parish usually has one activeparish church, though rarely and historically more than one; if there is no parish church, the bishop will usually license another building and may designate it as aParish Centre of Worship.[2] A parish may also be served by a number ofchapels of ease. Unused 'redundant' parish churches may exist in parishes formed by the merging of two or more parishes, or because of the cost of upkeep. These redundant churches may survive as ruins, remain empty, or be converted for alternative uses.[3]
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This is a very incomplete list of notable Church of England parish churches:
| Location | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ashmanhaugh, Norfolk | St. Swithin | The smallest round-tower church in the UK |
| Barton-upon-Humber,North Lincolnshire | St Peter's Church | GoodSaxon tower |
| Bedford | St Paul's church | On the site of a former ancient minster, the present medieval 'hall church' was the wartime home of the BBC'sThe Daily Service. Now the county church with a fineBodley screen and maintains a choral tradition. |
| Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire | Beverley Minster | Perpendicular west front, continuous vault, Percy tomb, Hawksmoor font cover, the largest parish church in England by floor area (3489 m2). |
| Bodmin, Cornwall | St Petroc's Church | The church building is late medieval and is the largest parish church in Cornwall. |
| Boston, Lincolnshire | St Botolph's Church | The Stump, lantern interior, 52misericords. |
| Brent, London | St Gabriel's, Cricklewood | ANew Wine church which is home to an historic organ used inBBC Radio recitals. |
| Bristol | St Mary Redcliffe Church | Twin porches, Perpendicular interior, 1,200 roof bosses. |
| Brompton, Kensington, London | Holy Trinity ("HTB") | EvangelicalAnglican church where theAlpha course was first developed. |
| Burford, Oxfordshire | St John's Church | Merchants' guild chapel, Red Indian memorial, Kempe glass. |
| Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk | St Mary's Church | Burial place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, sister of Henry VIII, second longest aisle of a Parish Church in England. Hammer beam roof with carved angels. Has a traditional robed choir which has existed for hundreds of years. |
| Canterbury, Kent | St Martin's | Oldest surviving Church of England parish church ofEnglish origin |
| Christchurch, Dorset | Christchurch Priory | Norman exterior, Decorated screen, Perpendicular tombs and chantries. |
| Cirencester, Gloucestershire | St John the Baptist's Church | Perpendicular porch, fan vaults, merchants' tombs. |
| City of London | St Magnus the Martyr | Wren church situated at the end of the old London Bridge. |
| Crediton, Devon | Crediton Parish Church | A former collegiate church which was rebuilt in the 15th century and has some fine monuments. |
| Culbone, Somerset | St Culbone's Church | Smallest parish church in England. |
| Doncaster | St George's Minster | "South Yorkshire's most majestic building".[citation needed] |
| Earls Barton, Northamptonshire | All Saints' Church | An ancient Saxon church famous for its incredible heritage. |
| Fairford, Gloucestershire | St Mary's Church | Complete set of medieval glass, stone carvings, misericords. |
| Gawber,Barnsley | St Thomas the Apostle[1] | A small church in South Yorkshire |
| Grantham, Lincolnshire | St Wulfram's Church | Steeple and west front, Decorated tracery, Corbel-table carvings. |
| Great Witley, Worcestershire | St Michael and All Angels | A complete Italian Baroque style in a remote part of England, with painted ceilings and stained-glass windows from the formerCannons House near London |
| Greensted, Essex | Greensted Church (officially St Andrew's Church) | Probably the only pre-12th century wooden church still in use in the world. |
| Hull, Yorkshire | Holy Trinity Church | The fourth-largest parish church in England by floor area (2473 m2). |
| Kendal, Cumbria | Holy Trinity Church | Claims to be the widest parish church in England |
| Leeds | Minster and Parish Church of St Peter | Leeds has no Anglican cathedral, so the Minster has several administrative functions below those ofBradford,Ripon andWakefield Cathedrals. |
| Liverpool | Our Lady and St Nicholas | Liverpool's 'sailors' church', traditional emigrants' landmark on leaving for the New World |
| Long Melford, Suffolk | Holy Trinity Church | Richest East Anglian church, Clopton Chantry, Lily Crucifix, medieval glass. An example of awool church. |
| Ludlow, Shropshire: | St Laurence's Church | Medieval Palmers' glass, Pietà bench-end, civic tombs. |
| Maidenhead, Berkshire | St Luke's Church | Largest church in Maidenhead |
| Ottery St Mary, Devon | St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary | Miniature Exeter Cathedral, painted roof, fan-vaulted aisle. |
| Patrington, East Riding of Yorkshire | St Patrick's Church | Octagonal tower top, Decorated carvings throughout. |
| Pershore, Worcestershire | Pershore Abbey | Formerabbeyrestored byGeorge Gilbert Scott |
| Plymouth, Devon | St Andrew's Church | 15th century church rebuilt after thePlymouth Blitz, the largest parish church in Devon. |
| Selby, North Yorkshire | Selby Abbey | Norman nave, chancel stiff-leaf, east window tracery with medieval glass. |
| Sherborne, Dorset | Sherborne Abbey | Complete fan vault, carved bosses, misericords. |
| Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire | Tewkesbury Abbey | Norman nave, 'Sun of York' bosses, Despenser tombs, medieval glass. |
| Walpole St Peter,Norfolk | St Peter's Church | Nave woodwork, font cover, 'bolt-hole' tunnel. |
| Warwick, Warwickshire | St Mary's Church | Beauchamp Chapel and tombs. |
| Westminster, London | All Saints, Margaret Street | Anglo-Catholic shrine. |
| Westminster, London | St Margaret's | The parish church of the BritishHouses of Parliament |
| Wing, Buckinghamshire | All Saints' Church | Anglo-Saxon apse and crypt. |
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