St Swithun's Church, has an impressive tower, which contains a ring of 10 bells and is famous throughout the district.

The oldest part of the church is known as the Lady Chapel and can be found at the end of the North Transept. The chapel is a war memorial and houses the banner of the borough of East Retford.

A typical large-town church, St Swithun's was built on a cruciform plan. The central pillar and its two arches belong to the 14th century and still display their original painted decorations.

The rest of the church is basically of the 15th century and is in the style often called perpendicular.

Much of the Chancel and South Transept of St Swithun's was destroyed in 1651 when a storm caused the tower to collapse. By 1658 the tower had been rebuilt and from the outside it clearly has a 17th century look. Inside, massive piers were constructed to carry its weight.

Some of the glass in the church windows is medieval. A few fragments are incorporated into the west window of the Lady Chapel and the west window of the south transept, which is also unusual in having two coins set into the glass and is consequently named Penny Window.

St Swithun's continues to be looked upon as the Civic Church of the town, and as such, hosts all services of national or local importance.

For many years St Swithun's congregation has followed a pattern of central churchmanship. Sunday services consist of 1662 Holy Communion at 8am, followed by 11am Morning Prayer or Sung Eucharist (Common Worship), and Evening Prayer at 6.30pm.

The one regular weekly service is 1662 Holy Communion, held each Thursday morning, although other services may be arranged to commemorate particular dates in the church calendar.

Additionally, members of other congregations join in on a rota basis in supporting the opening of the church each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, to give visitors to the town, as well as residents, the opportunity of coming to the church, which sadly for much of the week has to remain closed.

The church enjoys the services of a church choir, which currently includes a small junior section. It also benefits from a loyal team of bell ringers at the two main Sunday services.

A branch of the Mothers' Union holds regular meetings, contributing in many ways to the life of our church.

The Friends of St Swithun's Church is an association formed for the purpose of fund-raising for the development of the church and hall.

You can read more about St Swithun's by visiting www.stswithuns.retfordteamministry.org.uk

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