The Church of St. Mary is one of only three in Britain to have both a tower and a spire, and very grand it looks too.  The current church members have managed to keep their building as a place of worship foremost, whilst acknowledging its long history; fundraising is an ongoing task involving the whole community and beyond.  It is definitely a much used and loved building.

The church is a Grade I listed building - more information about the listing can be found at the  Historic England  website.

Richard Carruthers-Zurowski has spent many years researching various families of this area; his thoroughness, enthusiasm and dedication to the project is something to be admired.  Follow this link for  more information  on the Sadler and Sheppard families.  Mandy had the pleasure of meeting Richard at Purton in July 2004.

For more information about the church, visit their website at:  www.stmaryspurton.org.uk  - this will open on their Brief Guide page, but there are plenty of other pages to read.