KentEASTLINGStMary(pamfrayCC-BY-SA2.0)1

St Mary

The church is set back from the road and is surrounded by mature yew trees (one of which is more than 2,000 years old), with only the spire visible above them.

Eastling, Kent

Opening times

The church is open daily.

Address

Kettle Hill Road
Eastling
Kent
ME13 0BA

Parts of the church, including the base of the tower, date from the 11th century. The nave is from the 12th century; the chancel, the 13th; and the sanctuary and St Katherine Chapel, the 14th.

The porch is high Victorian with the jazziest floor in Kent, no doubt the work of Richard Hussey who restored the church in the mid 19th century. It leads to a church with origins in the 12th century but owing more to the 13th and even more to the 19th century! The arcades are built in a much replaced Early English style but work well.

In the centre alley is the lovely ledger slab of a man who put it there a few years before his death and inscribed lest someone else steal his pole position. In the south transept is a pretty monument showing kneeling children and a most colourful shield of arms displaying sea creatures. 

The chancel contains one of the finest 14th century tomb recesses in the county, though the faces at either end are Victorian fantasies.

  • Wildlife haven

  • Magnificent memorials

  • Glorious furnishings

  • Fascinating churchyard

  • Captivating architecture

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Space to secure your bike

  • Parking within 250m

  • On street parking at church

  • Level access to the main areas

  • Dog friendly

  • Café within 500m

  • Bus stop within 100m

  • Accessible toilets nearby

  • Church of England

Other nearby churches

St Leonard

Badlesmere, Kent

Tucked away down a quiet lane next to a farm, 13th century St Leonard's is tiny and does not look promising at first as it is rendered on the outside.

St Peter & St Paul

Charing, Kent

Charing is a pretty village, and Market Place is lined with old buildings of flint and brick, including the ruins of an archbishop's palace.