St Swithin’s

The Anglican Church of St Swithin on The Paragon in the Walcot area of Bath, England, was built between 1777 and 1790. It is a Grade II* listed building.The church stands on the site of a previous place of worship dating back to the 10th century, the remains of which are beneath the crypt. The dedication is to Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. Jane Austen's parents were married at St Swithin's on 26 April 1764 and her father George Austen is buried there.The current building was erected by John Palmer between 1777 and 1790. His new church opened in 1777 but was soon too small for its growing congregation, as the city became increasingly popular and expanded well beyond its traditional boundaries.

On 30 May 1797 the abolitionist William Wilberforce and Barbara Spooner Wilberforce were married in the church.