Shortly after the £2450 that was needed to build the church was raised the foundation stone of St Wilfrid’s was layed on 14th October 1923 and dedicated on 6th April 1924 by the Bishop of Southampton.  It became the parish church of Cowplain just before the 1st World War when a further £700 was raised to build the Church Hall.  It was not long after its completion that the Church hall had been commandeered however as the Home Guard installed a .22 riffle range in the 60ft long building.  It was during Rev Hill’s short ministry at the church that the first Confirmation Service and 5 months later in Nov 1942 the first wedding was solemnised.

The parish contained just 2500 people in 1954 when Rev Christopher Eastwood began his 32 year ministry and helped set up many local groups in the Cowplain area including the Age Concern and the Cowplain Scouts.  On 26 May 1962 the Church building was consecrated to create the Parish of Cowplain and at this time Cowplain was little more than a village with a single track road to the church.  This is commemorated with a small stone cross to the left of the Vestry Door into the chancel.  St Wilfrid’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated with a Grand Jubilee Dinner for 100 people, a Family Service with the Rev Forse who never took up his appointment at St Wilfrid’s in 1939 owing to the outbreak of war and a Festal Evensong attended by the Bishop of Portsmouth.

The Rev Peter Hancock (now Bishop of Basingstoke) succeeded Christopher Eastwood in 1987 and instigated a £700,000 rebuild of the Church which was completed and consecrated on 6th October 2002.

There are a number of key features inside the Church.  The only visible feature over 100 years old is the alabaster font rescued from Blendworth’s St. Giles’ Church before demolition.  It is unusually located at the front of the Church near the original entrance doors as it was too fragile to be moved during the rebuild.  The Church now faces South to Jim Passingham’s beautiful communion table and a sympathetically designed lecturn.  The Colorful Trinity Windows are the focal point behind the communion table, the concentric rings illustrating the oneness of God and encompassing Alpha and Omega to symbolise God from the beginning to the End and the dove of the Holly Spirit flies across the water of life.  The Window in the Chancel is far more traditional with the Virgin and Child flanked by the SS Swithun and Wilfrid along the bottom.  There is also a time capsule from 1996 buried under the Western Wall of the modern building.

St Wilfrid’s Church is also active outside of the main Church Building with Sunday Services also being held at Westbrook Hall in the heart of the Tempest Avenue Estate and through its work with Messy Church.  The Church has links with St. Augustine’s Church in Larteh, Ghana.

You can find out more information about the Church at www.stwilfridscowplain.co.uk