'Sharing the Love of Jesus in Word and Action'
St. Mary's, Hales
We are a small and welcoming congregation in a very traditional village setting.
We offer a menu of worship that ranges from the traditional to the contemporary.
Our range of different services suit all the congregation, and the church is lucky enough to have a very proactive Parochial Church Council, to tackle the challenges of modern church life.
The wider benefice has home groups and thriving youth and children's work.
The community of Hales has numerous annual activities to help raise money for our church including a Summer Fête, a Fun Ride horse event, and various other seasonal festivals.
St. Mary's Church, Hales, Staffordshire, TF9 2PR
Hales Events 2020
CANCELLED - 4th July - Hales Fete
13th September - Fun Ride
Our Church History
The church of Hales, St Mary, was built in 1856 by the then squire of the village, the Rev. Alexander Buchanan.
The old timber chapel had been burnt down, and so with the nearest place to worship a good few miles away, he decided to build this fine pseudo-Gothic church with tower for the people of Hales. The large stain-glassed window to the east of the church, above the altar, was added in 1923 by Ernest Byfield Hall; who bought the Hales Estate from the Buchanan family in the early 1920’s.
The man who was responsible for the design of St Mary’s was the famous architect George Gilbert Scott, who also designed St Pancras Station, The Albert Memorial, and numerous churches around the British Isles.
The view from the front of the church is hard to beat as it looks straight out onto the Coal Brook valley and beyond into North Shropshire.
The silver goblet and two chalices originate from the wooden chapel and have the crest of the Buchanan family on them dating back to 1833. These are still used for special services today.
The inside of the church can seat comfortably 100 people, as well as choir stalls for another 20.
View from the church across the Coal Brook Valley