St Bartholomew's Church is located in a commanding position on top of Chosen Hill. On a clear day you can see for miles around. An asset that was appreciated by our ancestors during war and peace, and well worth savouring during a summers evening while the local band practice their ancient art of Bellringing.

The newest of our six bells is the Treble , which was installed in 1933 when the existing five bells were rehung on roller bearings. The frame is inscribed J. E. Jacques 1828, but was rebuilt in the late 19th century, and again in 1933. The parish records for 1828 record that “the bells were rehung and new timbered by J. Jacques of Gloucester and opened 27th June 1828 by the ringers of St Mary de Crypt in Gloucester” While our Tenor bell is not notably old in “bell terms” it is a sobering thought that around the time this was cast, The English Civil War had finished only 32 years previously; Cromwell died only 20 years before; the Great Plague, and Great Fire of London were recent memories. In the same year 1678 John Bunyan published the first part of Pilgrim’s Progress. Life must have been very different then.

Graffiti artists however predate this, and Churchdown has had it‘s share! If you were to venture inside St Bartholomew's you will note the ground floor ringing room is now divided off from the nave by a modern oak screen. This cuts across much ancient carved graffiti going back to the tower’s construction, including one by ‘Sam-uel (C)ollerick 1647’ with some scratched out words in large letters. This was during the latter part of the Civil War. Earlier, in 1643, the next village of Badgeworth was sacked and deserted and Chosen Hill on which St Bartholomew’s sits, was used as a lookout point during the siege of Gloucester. Gloucester held out against a full scale Royalist assault for three weeks. A Thomas Collerick was Vicar before, possibly Samuel’s father? Below this inscription, about 400mm above floor level, is a curious little wall painting, about 300mm high of a 17th century post mill. No records exist of a windmill in the parish, but the 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map shows a ‘Tumulus’ in the vale below on a low hill, just over the parish boundary with Badgeworth. This has been ploughed out, destroying the tell-tale cross shaped depression on top which would confirm it as a windmill site. However, quite why anybody would trouble to bring a pot of paint up in to the church, sit on the floor and carefully paint a windmill is a complete mystery. Until recently a plug socket had been screwed on top of the painting, but this has now been relocated. Finally on 3rd September 1833 Peter Uzzell and Henry Berry climbed up to the Belfry, sat on the east & west window sills respectively, and carved their names in the stone. Peter made a much neater job!