Didbrook belonged for many years to Hailes Abbey nearby. Hailes was founded in 1246 by Richard, brother of Henry III and in 1257 crowned Head of the Holy Roman Empire, whilst Richard's son in 1270 brought to it part of the relic of the Holy Blood from Rome, with the Pope's certificate as to its authenticity; through this, Hailes became one of the leading Pilgrimage churches of Christendom.
Hailes, like many other abbeys, was a good influence upon its neighbourhood. More than one Didbrook man became a priest in the Church. In 1451 William Whitchurch, Abbot of Hailes, became Vicar of Didbrook. He rebuilt the parish church in the Cotswold style, as seen above. Read the story of the rebuilding with the next photo of the church's only door.
The dedication of church and parish to St George may date from about 1347 when Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, about which time St George seems to have replaced Edward the Confessor as Patron Saint of England, though some English churches had been dedicated to George before this date.
St George's tower is typical of Cotswold towers, with its buttresses, battlements and pinnacles. It also has gargoyles on the corners of the parapet. The tower contains five bells, and presumably Hailes Abbey would have given St George's its first bells.
