The Friends of St Mary the Virgin
The Friends of St Mary’s links together, in one active and united body, those who wish to support and maintain our historic building.
Our Church Heritage
Nestling below the North Downs, on the Pilgrim’s Way, there has been a place of worship on this site for over 1,000 years. St Mary the Virgin, a Grade 2* listed building, features in Simon Jenkins’ book "England’s Thousand Best Churches", The well known church designer, Sir Ninian Comper, restored and reordered the chancel during Edwardian times.
What the Friends Do
The friends assist in the preservation of the building by giving of their money to cover annual expenditure for repairs, restoration, preservation and insurance as indicated in the regular (5 yearly) report by the church architect and carried out under the auspices of the Parochial Church Council together with the Incumbent and the Churchwardens. Fuller details of our objectives will be received upon membership. Members will also receive a progress report during the year, details of the AGM and information about any fund raising events and schemes.
 In recent years the congregation and village community have raised funds to improve the lighting, re-shingle the tower, repair the roof of the north aisle and replace the south door with a new glass door.
What the Friends Hope to Do in the Future
The Architect’s Quinquennial Review dated July 2007, refers several times to the need to repair or conserve various stained glass windows. Arrangements have been made for an expert from Canterbury to inspect the Madonna roundel, dating from 1220, situated in the south wall. We look forward to her report. What better project for the Friend’s of St Mary’s to start with!
What You Can Do
If you wish to join the Friends or make a donation please download our enrolment form which now includes the option to Gift Aid your donation.
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Projects
- The Madonna Roundel
- The oldest piece of stained glass in the church dating from 1220
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