Friends Of Thistleton Church (Registered Charity 1167538) Email: administrator@thistletonchurch.org
Thistleton Church
Church - Community - Heritage
All in one place
St Nicholas Church is the former parish church of the tiny Rutland village of Thistleton. The local community united to save it from closure in 2017 and the church gained a new lease of life as a multi purpose building.
Reclassified as a chapel of ease, the church remains fully licensed for services, weddings, baptisms and funerals. The building and activities are funded and managed by Friends of Thistleton Church (Reg. Charity 1167538). Ecclesiastical matters are managed by Cottesmore PCC.
The building is the centre of the community - one reason we tend to refer to it as Thistleton Church. The other is to differentiate it from St Nicholas in neighbouring Cottesmore. We host a range of community activities including a Saturday Cafe, social events, concerts and fayres.
In 2020 the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded a grant to enable essential repairs to the building and to fund a project to promote interest in the history and heritage of the church and of Thistleton and the surrounding area. We are grateful for the support of the NLHF and other funding bodies. They are listed on the Acknowledgements page
We welcome enquiries from people who would like to visit, take part in activities, volunteer to assist with the heritage project or to find out more about what being a chapel of ease means.
What we do
Heritage St Nicholas Church dates back to the 14th century although most of the church was rebuilt in 1879 and is a lovely example of a small rural Victorian church. The village of Thistleton has a long history; remains of Roman and Iron Age settlements have been discovered nearby and Thistleton was mentioned in the Domesday Book.
In 2020 the National Lottery Heritage Fund funded a three year project to promote public interest in the heritage and history of the church and surrounding area. More information about the project by clicking the link: Nurturing the Old and the New - St Nicholas Thistleton Community Hub.
Community Hub The church is the only public space and is the centre of the community. Indoor and outdoor events are planned throughout the year.
Saturday Cafe We are open 10.30am to 1.00pm every Saturday from March to November serving hot and cold drinks and home made cakes. We also serve home made soup in the colder months and a savoury dish in the summer.
Church Services As a Chapel of Ease, Thistleton Church holds 6-8 services a year, mainly around the major festivals of Easter, Christmas and Harvest.
Services in 2025
Thursday 17 April at 6.00pm: Maundy Thursday
Sunday 29 June at 10.30am: Holy Communion
Saturday 6 September at 5.00pm: Harvest Thanksgiving
Saturday 1 November at 5.00pm: Remembering Loved Ones
Saturday 20 December at 5.00pm: Carol Service
Christmas Day at 9.30am: Holy Communion
Visit the church We love having groups visit our lovely church and telling them about our history and what we do.
The church is usually open daily 11.00am to 4.00pm. If you are in the area and would like to visit outside of these times please contact 01572 767341 and we will try to accommodate your visit.
Music at Thistleton Church The acoustics at Thistleton Church make it an ideal venue for concerts. The first Thistleton Music Festival took place in May 2022, 10 events in 10 days. The 2023 Festival took place May 11th - 20th. We hope to organise occasional musical events in the future.
Talks and Displays We have a rolling programmme of information from the Thistleton Heritage Project on display. We organise occasional talks, focusing mainly on local heritage topics.
Thistleton Church heritage project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
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