From the outside, St Mary's, Cholsey appears to be a fairly typical medieval village church. However, the moment you step inside you realise you have come somewhere very special. Clearly it is a building that is filled with light and life and warmth. The modern reordering of the church (completed in the spring 2001) beautifully compliments the ancient lines of the Norman building. It also makes it very clear that this building is the home of a vibrant congregation, eager to take the love of Christ into the modern world. We are a church that seeks to be open to the Holy Spirit, evangelical in its ministry and welcoming to all.

Christians have been worshipping in Cholsey for more than a thousand years. The church was founded as an abbey church by King Ethelred the Unready in approximately 986. It is thought that the lower part of the church tower with its "long and short" cornerstones typical of Saxon buildings, dates from this time. This is all that remains of what was probably the last great Anglo-Saxon monastery to be built in England. The abbey at Cholsey is mentioned in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

The church was substantially rebuilt between 1150 and 1170 and, unusually, has retained its original cruciform shape until the present day and remained largely unaltered on the outside. The fine crossing arches are Norman work, although they have been restored at various times in later years. The carvings on the western capitals, some of the windows and the ornamented south nave doorway can all be admired today. In the 13th century, a splendidly light extension to the east end of the chancel was built. The height of the tower was increased at about the same time. Over the centuries the church building was modified to meet the needs of the day. A large window was put in the south transept in the 14th century and another large window in the west end of the nave in the 15th century.

The importance of the abbey church is perhaps indicated by the fact that in the 13th and 14th centuries, what is thought to have been the largest tithe barn in Europe was erected close by the church. Sadly this was demolished in the early 19th century.

The Victorians implemented major restorations and reordering of the church in 1847 and 1877. Four large new windows were put in the nave, with stained glass depicting the medieval monastic life of the church. Two additional lancet windows were put in the chancel, replicating the six 13th century lancet windows that were already there. A new decorative floor of different coloured machine-cut tiles was placed in the chancel and indeed the floor was raised in steps towards the holy table at the east end.

In the early 20th century a very striking stained glass portrait of Christ as the good shepherd was put in the window at the west end of the nave.

By the late 1980's the interior of the church was in need of a considerable amount of restoration. This gave the opportunity to the congregation to give some serious thought as to how the church could be reordered to provide better for the needs of its thriving congregation. The long cruciform of the building had been designed for worship in feudal times, when an illiterate congregation in the nave observed the service being read or sung in Latin in the superb but distant chancel. This was clearly unsuitable for the late 20th century, when the concern was that the whole congregation should be actively involved in worship. Hitherto, the only alternative had been to lead the service from underneath the crossing. However, this meant that the chancel would not really be used at all and indeed it was very difficult to gain access from the nave to any other part of the building.

The solution was proposed by Thame architects Maguire and Co. Although it was in one sense radical, it involved almost no structural alteration to the existing building, the changes being entirely internal. The church now has a beautiful wooden floor (made from North American ash) with an efficient heating system installed underneath it. This adds great warmth and light, character and flexibility to the building.

A person will now normally enter the church through the chancel door into a welcoming reception area. To the right at the east end of the chancel is a small chapel, which is used for early morning services. If you turn left and proceed under the crossing, those with small children can take them into a crèche in the light and airy south transept. Alternatively, to the left of the crossing, in the north transept, there are now modern toilets and a kitchen, and a beautiful upstairs meeting room used for a children's group in the morning, as well as being available for other groups.

Carrying on straight ahead from the crossing you come into the nave. The very mediocre Victorian pews, have been replaced by comfortable seats, which are now facing west towards the specially designed table underneath the impressive west window at the far end.

The overall effect is a delightful blend of ancient and modern. The late 20th century reordering allows the pure and simple lines of the ancient Norman building to speak for themselves.

More than this, the reordering enables the building to be a vibrant centre of worship and mission. The level wooden floor and the chairs, means there is enormous flexibility for a whole range of services of worship, for concerts, for Christian theatre, for quiet prayer, for workshops and other special events such as Alpha suppers. Thus the building really expresses the life of the Christian community, as well as being a wonderful asset for the wider parish and a witness to the glorious fact that after more than a thousand years, God is alive and well in Cholsey!