Our churches
St. Augustine’s Church, Richmond Rd
St. Augustine's, which was originally an infants’ school, is very much at the heart of its surrounding community. It is a centre of worship which is also used as a meeting place for a wide variety of groups. The monthly Community Lunch Club provides a two course meal and good company at Sunday lunchtimes for only a minimal charge. A group meets in the church every Friday evening to read, discuss and be challenged by various books of the Bible. There is also a long tradition of good music at St Augustine's both within its worship and through the variety of musical events held there. A regular series of evening talks covers such subjects as understanding Islam, art history and the poetics of sculpture.
St. Giles’ Church, Castle Hill
Some parts of St Giles’ date back to 1092. The worship is liberal catholic, in the Anglican Church tradition. Our parish office is based there. Open most mornings, the church is a quiet city-centre space for prayer and meditation. At other times it welcomes people in for the musical events, concerts, conferences, celebrations, commemorations and children's holiday clubs that take place. The garden is variously used for raucous fun days, garden parties and picnics. Please feel free to enjoy this space to eat your lunch if you're working or passing nearby. Our local schools enjoy worship events and educational visits during term time. After the tsunami the congregation made a link with Christ Church, Hambantota. The churches have pledged to pray for each other and St Giles' raises money to support the work of its sister church.
On most mornings a minister is available to speak with you if you'd like to drop in for any reason.
St. Luke’s Church, Victoria Road
St. Luke’s Church is a local ecumenical partnership between the United Reformed Church and the Church of England. Sunday morning worship, at 10.30 a.m., incorporates traditions of each denomination. There is an evening service in the tradition of the Iona Community on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 8.00 p.m.
The halls and church rooms, called St. Luke’s Church Centre, make an excellent venue for a variety of groups and activities.
On the wall as you enter the church you will find the following statement, put together by the church family.
‘Everyone is welcome here. We aim to be an inclusive community proclaiming Christ's gospel of love. We will strive to make this a place where anyone can explore the possibility of faith. We celebrate the traditions of both Anglican and United Reformed churches. We offer St Luke’s as a special resource for the neighbour-hood, at the same time recognising that the heart of the building is a place of worship and prayer for everyone.
Together we affirm our strong commitment to work with people of other denominations and those of other world faiths.’
St. Peter's Church, Castle Street
St Peter’s Church is located just across the road from St. Giles’ Church. Christians have been worshipping here for well over a thousand years. Care of the church is shared with The Churches Conservation Trust and Kettle's Yard Gallery. The building is open as a place of quiet prayer and sometimes used for exhibitions. Throughout the year special festivals are celebrated at St. Peter’s, and it is a quiet, sacred space for us all to use.
Castle St. Methodist Church
Castle Street Methodist Church began as a church of the Primitive Methodist Connexion in St Peter's Street in 1823. The present building dating from 1914, which has recently acquired Grade II Listed status, is about to undergo major renovations. Morning Worship, including both All Age Worship and Holy Communion at least once a month, takes place at 10.45 a.m. The evening service at 6.30 p.m. is shared with members of Castle End Mission, alternately in the Mission or at Castle Street. The Church is always glad to welcome visitors and new members. It has a keen interest in missions and social responsibility, and recently hosted a major day conference on climate change.
Castle Street has a strong women's group (Castanet), a Music Circle, Parents and Tots group and popular weekly coffee mornings. We also offer a Bible Study group, regular study programmes and occasional lectures on many aspects of the Christian faith which all are welcome to attend.
You can find out more about us at http://www.castlestreet.org.uk/
Parish history
If you are interested in finding out more about the history of the churches and the burial grounds you can find it on the History of churches and burial grounds page. There is also information held in the Cambridge Archives at Shire Hall and in the Cambridgeshire Collection at the Central Library.
Family History Research
If you are researching an ancestor the best place to start is the Cambridge County Records Office.