After many years St Mary`s Church has a wonderful set of new glass doors.
Here`s how they came into being.
Way back before Covid hit, discussions had begun about how to improve the entrance of St Mary’s. The ancient great oak door, though beautiful and historic, was draughty and off-putting, and the small entrance door made accessing the church very difficult for anyone with a pushchair, wheelchair or other mobility device. A more welcoming entrance was needed.
Under the superb guidance of Mervyn Cully, plans were pulled together, including discussions with the Parochial Church Council, Gloucester Diocese, and the wider Fairford Community. Finally a Faculty was granted in 2024 to begin making those dreams a reality.
Tracey Sheppard, a well-established artist and engraver took on the task of engraving the doors, following a design brief of the Good Shepherd and the church being a Wool Church.
A pair of shepherd`s crooks are central to the design of the doors, with their form taken from crook held by the shepherd in the Lady Chapel Nativity window. The thought is that each time someone opens or closes the doors they will be making contact with a crook and, by association, the Good Shepherd.
The River Coln runs across the doors, their shape being initially inspired by the decorative stone 
detail around the tops of the stone columns in the Nave. As the water flows across the doors, light sparkles and reflects on the surface picking out the word REJOICE. This word can be read on approaching and when leaving.
The name Cotswold means ‘sheep enclosure in rolling hillside’, and the top line of the water course also delineates the rise and fall of the land creating a hill at either side of the pair of doors and a valley in the centre. The valley is full of a mixture of wild grasses and daisies and stylized vegetation taken from the Ascension window blending old with new.
Butterflies fly amongst the grasses butterflies being prevalent to these hills and a Christian symbol for the Resurrection.
Sheep are shown grazing on the slopes at either side of the doors and serving as a reminder of the history of the foundation of this Wool Church.
The Bishop of Tewkesbury will visit on Sunday 7th December during the morning and will bless the doors. Everyone is warmly invited to help celebrate.
Ingrid Morris
Secretary
PCC
Updated 3rd December 2025