Welcome to Bath Abbey

New Rector for Bath Abbey

We would like to welcome the Revd Edward Mason who is to be made the New Rector of the Abbey on the 3rd of October (3pm) by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rt Revd Peter Price and the Archdeacon of Bath the Ven Bob Evens.

Edward says “I am very excited by the new job and am delighted to have been chosen to do it. I very much look forward to getting to know Bath, which is a most beautiful city.”

Edward, aged 51, has been Vicar of St Andrew with St Bartholomew, Churchdown Gloucestershire since 1994 and he has been Rural Dean of Gloucester North for five years.

He is married to Hilary, a music teacher, and they have three sons Ben, aged 23, Owen, 20, and Murry, 17. Edward was brought up in Portsmouth where he attended Portsmouth Grammar School. He studied music for two years at Dartington Hall, Devon and then completed his teaching qualification at Rolle College, Exmouth. He taught at an 11-18 Comprehensive School in Fairford Glos until, in 1980, he left to go to Bristol University to do an Med. Degree.

During his time as a teacher he produced several major shows including Fiddler on the Roof and Orpheus in the Undertworld

Edward worked for the Church Mission Society as a partner from 1981 to 1987 in Uganda where he was Diocesan Education Secretary in Soroti. On his return to England he attended Trinity College, Bristol (1988-1991) to train for the ministry. He was ordained deacon in 1991 and Priest in 1992. He served his curacy at St James’, Gloucester (1991-94).

Edward is particularly “enthusiastic about music, especially the very high quality choral music you get in the Abbey.”

We pray for Edward, Hilary and the Family as they prepare to move and the parish of St Andrews with St Bartholomew Churchdown at this time.

We hope you will be able to find all you need to know about us here. The times for our services and special events happening in the Abbey are on this site as well as an opportunity to catch up with recent News. There are also contact details if the information you are looking for is not here.

We are fortunate to worship in such a very beautiful building, and the community here continues a tradition of Christian prayer and worship on this site going back hundreds of years. We want "to witness steadfastly to the Christian faith and to proclaim the Gospel: through prayer and preaching; through service to the community of Bath and to visitors to the city." We are dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and we look to follow in their footsteps in the dynamic, outward-looking and evangelistic example they have given to the Church.

The Abbey Church is classified as one of the Greater Churches group. Begun in 1499, it is the last great gothic church in England. It is a cruciform building the size of a small cathedral, seating around 1,200 people. As Saint James' Church was destroyed during the Second World War, the Abbey is the only licensed place of worship in the parish.

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