Titley

The village of Titley lies in a sheltered, verdant position in the Arrow valley, some three miles equidistant from Kington and Presteigne.  The village lies 500 feet above sea level on Offa's Dyke and close to the river Arrow. Approximately 150 adult parishioners occupy some 50 dwellings spread over an area interlaced by old drovers' roads. The village, base since 1895 of the Radnorshire and West Herefordshire Hunt and kennels, has changed little in recent years, its architecture ranging from Tudor to Georgian and Victorian, with a few modern properties. 

Before Beeching, trains of the local railway stopped at Titley Halt and Titley station, whence passengers could travel to London without once alighting, but sadly  public transport is now limited to a once-weekly bus service to Kington. In recent years the village school and shop have also closed, the only remaining community buildings being the St Peter’s church, a modern and much-used village hall and the much-acclaimed Stagg Inn.  Titley is still very much a farming community, but with a variety of professional members, artisans and newcomers retired from elsewhere. 

St. Peter's Church

Regular worship at St. Peter’s

At Titley we aim to provide a welcoming balance of the traditional and contemporary.  Our early morning Communion is from Common Worship Order Two with the beautiful language as used by Shakespeare and loved by so many.

On the third Sunday of the month we use Common Worship Order One.  We are normally fortunate to be welcomed by Tony and June at “The Old Priory” next to the Church for coffee and fellowship after the Services.

St Peter’s is at the far end of the village from the pub and the village hall.  The Grade II listed building stands at the top of a gentle slope and has a very welcoming countenance.  In 2007 we raised a lot of money to mend major damage to the roof and since then have continued to raise funds through regular activities like the village fete.

Lying close to Offa’s Dyke and the Mortimer Trail we get a lot of walkers passing through the village.  Since our new catering point and toilet were installed, we are able to offer refreshments and a “comfort stop” to weary travellers, as well as a place of meditative calm and tranquillity. 
We are a small community but a busy one.  Farming is the engine that drives most of the activity around here and we tend to be observant of its rhythms.  (As you can appreciate, Harvest Festival is one of our most well-attended services by adults.)  And though we are small, we are busy and we are committed to overcoming the problems which lie ahead – dwindling congregations and ageing populations being but two of them. If we were to define our mission it would be this: to create a place of worship that is relevant to life in 21st Century England, even somewhere as quiet as Titley.  While honouring the traditions of worship that have endured here for many decades, we also want to help the church to regain its position at the heart of village life.  We currently have two services a month but we would love to increase that with the support of clergy and lay leaders willing to undertake the task.