All Saints Kemble: The Royal Wedding Venue Guide

All Saints Church, Kemble is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Cotswolds, four miles south-west of Cirencester. Its 13th-century west tower carries a spire rebuilt in 1824, and most of the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1876-77. It seats around 120 to 150 people. On 6 June 2026 it hosted the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling, making it one of the smallest venues to stage a royal wedding in modern times.

Why a small Cotswolds church matters now

Most royal weddings of the past forty years have happened inside grand Anglican spaces. St Paul’s Cathedral. Westminster Abbey. St George’s Chapel at Windsor. Each holds hundreds, often thousands, of guests. The choice of All Saints Church, Kemble breaks that pattern.

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Peter Phillips is the eldest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He is 19th in line to the throne. Harriet Sperling is a senior NHS paediatric nurse from Gloucestershire. They chose a small village parish church.

This guide explains the church itself, the village around it, the architectural detail behind the stone, and the practical realities of getting there. It also sets the venue against the other royal wedding churches of the modern era so the choice can be read for what it is: a private wedding inside a working country parish, not a state occasion.

Where Kemble sits in the Cotswolds

Kemble is a small Gloucestershire village inside the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The civil parish is named Kemble and Ewen. The 2020 estimated population was 940 residents.

Distances from the village centre:

• Cirencester — 4 miles north-east. The Roman town of Corinium and the closest market town.
• Tetbury — 8 miles south-west. The market town next to Highgrove House.
• Highgrove — around 7 miles south. The private country home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
• Cotswold Water Park — 5 miles south-east. 180 lakes across the old gravel pits.
• Bath — 14 miles north of the city via the A46 corridor; the village sits north of the city on the Cotswold ridge.
• Gatcombe Park — around 12 miles west. Princess Anne’s estate, where Peter Phillips lives.

The land here is the upper Thames headwater. Thames Head, the recognised spring source of the River Thames, is in fields immediately west of the village. The Thames Path national trail begins at a stone marker a short walk from the church.

The history of All Saints Church

The site has been a place of worship since at least the seventh century. In 682 AD, King Cedwalla of Wessex granted land at Kemble to Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmesbury. A church almost certainly stood here from that date onward.

Historic England’s listing records that a stone church was built here between 1100 and 1250. Most of what stands today is the result of a Victorian rebuild.

• 1100-1250: The first stone church, with a nave, chancel, south aisle and west tower.
• 13th century: The west tower, now the oldest surviving part of the church. The south porch followed around 1280, built under William de Collerne, Abbot of Malmesbury.
• 14th century: The octagonal stone font, still in use, dates from around 1350.
• 15th century: A spire was added to the tower.
• 1823-24: The spire was damaged in a storm on 29 December 1823 and replaced in 1824.
• 1876-77: The church was largely rebuilt by Medland and Sons, apart from the tower, with a new north aisle and chancel. It reopened on 8 July 1877.
• 1964: The spire was repaired.

The building is listed at Grade II* by Historic England as the Anglican Church of All Saints, Kemble and Ewen, recognising its national architectural and historical importance. Notable interior features include a Norman chevron arch above the south doorway, an unusually large 13th-century porch, three Perpendicular windows in the south chapel, a triple lancet and rose window in the north chapel, six bells, and an 18th-century organ. Two medieval mass dials are still visible on the corners of the tower. An ancient yew stands in the churchyard.

The church is part of the Thameshead Benefice and remains a working parish church. It holds regular Sunday services and is normally open to visitors during the day.

How the church compares to other royal wedding venues

Capacity is the single number that puts the Phillips-Sperling choice in perspective. Most modern royal weddings have been staged inside venues built for crowds. All Saints Kemble is not.

Princess Beatrice’s wedding at the Royal Lodge chapel was the closest precedent in scale, but it was held inside private royal land. All Saints Kemble is a public parish church on a village street. That is unusual.

The choice signals two things. First, the wedding is intentionally private and family-led, not a state ceremony. Second, the couple chose the village over the palace. Harriet Sperling grew up in nearby South Cerney, fifteen minutes away. Peter Phillips lives on the Gatcombe Park estate. Kemble is local to both.

How to get to Kemble for the day (or just to visit)

Kemble is easier to reach than most Cotswolds villages, which is part of its appeal.

By train. Kemble railway station sits on the Golden Valley line between Swindon and Gloucester. It is 90 miles 79 chains down the line from London Paddington. Great Western Railway runs the service, mainly using Class 800 bi-mode trains. There is one direct train per hour to London Paddington off-peak. Journey time is around 75 to 80 minutes. Westbound, the same line connects Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa in around 30 minutes, with occasional services through to Cardiff and Swansea.

By road. Junction 17 of the M4 sits 11 miles south of the village. From the junction, the A429 north reaches Kemble in around 20 minutes. From the M5 at Stroud, the A419 brings you across the ridge in around 30 minutes.

Parking. Kemble railway station has a public car park used by commuters. The village itself has very limited parking around the church. If you are visiting, park at the station and walk in.

Where to eat and drink locally.

• The Tavern Inn, Kemble — village pub on the main street, walking distance from the church.
• The Thames Head Inn — coaching inn on the A433 just outside the village, within sight of the river’s source.
• Made by Bob, Cirencester — open kitchen restaurant in the Corn Hall, four miles away.
• The Wild Duck, Ewen — 17th-century inn in the neighbouring village within the same parish.

What’s around Kemble worth seeing

Kemble works well as a base for the southern Cotswolds. Within a half-hour drive you have one of the richest concentrations of Roman remains, market towns and water landscapes in the country.

• Cirencester (4 miles). The Roman Corinium was the second-largest town in Roman Britain. The Corinium Museum holds an outstanding mosaic collection. The market square trades on Mondays and Fridays. The Parish Church of St John the Baptist is one of the largest in England.
• Tetbury (8 miles). Home to Highgrove House and the Highgrove Gardens, open seasonally on guided tours by Royal Oak Foundation booking. The Royal Arms hangs on Tetbury’s antique shops.
• Highgrove Gardens. King Charles III’s organic gardens, designed over four decades. Tours run from April to October and book months ahead.
• Cotswold Water Park (5 miles). 180 lakes across 40 square miles. Walking trails, watersports and the Lower Mill estate.
• Thames Head. The recognised source of the River Thames sits in a field a mile west of Kemble. A stone marker beside an ash tree marks the spot. The Thames Path begins here and runs 184 miles to the Thames Barrier in London.
• Malmesbury (10 miles). England’s oldest borough, with the ruined abbey where King Aethelstan is buried.

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