St Mary's, Gulmarg: the highest Anglican church

This is, I believe, the highest altitude Anglican church anywhere in the world. St Mary's in Gulmarg, a skiing resort in the Kashmir Valley, stands at a little over 8,500 feet. That makes it a country spire higher than the church in Ethiopia which Wikipedia alleges is the highest Anglican place of worship anywhere.

So as you will understand, when we say St Mary's is high church. we're not judging it to be particularly ritualistic. Just up there, high in the clouds, and the snow, and all the rest.

St Mary's was built in 1902, mainly to serve the Brits who came here during the winter for sport of all sorts: hunting, skiing, a bit of how you fancy. It was semi-derelict for a few decades but has in recent years been brought back to life.

There's no board identifying the church, no notice of services and the main door was firmly locked. But the caretaker, who was busily clearing the compacted snow from around the church, very kindly let us in through a side door.

He explained that St Mary's only holds services in the summer. There's no local congregation. Those attending consist entirely of tourists. It's part of the Church of North India, and so of the worldwide Anglican communion.

Inside the church is charming but bare. There are no plaques or memorials, just some lovely stained glass, which has been adapted in a somewhat sinister manner..

Someone seems to have taken exception to the likenesses of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.

But I hope it's not sacrilege to have taken a photo of myself at St Mary's - who knows whether I'll ever get back there.

The church doesn't have vehicle access. It's a 200 yard trek from the road that loops round Shepherds' Meadow.

​While we were there, the snow started to come down heavily. When we got back to the road, it was almost a white-out - you couldn't see the church at all.

While trying to find out more about St Mary's, I came across this pen-and-ink drawing of Gulmarg showing the church. It was done in around 1909 by Andrea Lucey who was, as far as I can make out, a teenager at the time.

​It was for sale, and not for very much. So of course, I've bought it!