St Mary's Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in

Sundridge, Kent Sundridge is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The village is located on the A25 road to the east of Westerham. It lies within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural ...

, England, and in the

Diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal si ...

. It is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The building, originally of the 12th century, was enlarged in the 13th and 15th centuries, and restored in the 19th century.

History and description

Sundridge was mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086: the land was held by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and there was a church. It was probably built of timber, being replaced by a two-cell church in the 12th century. It was enlarged in the 13th century, perhaps because of its location near

Pilgrim's Way A pilgrims' way or pilgrim way is a standard route that pilgrims take when they go on a pilgrimage in order to reach their destination – usually a holy site or place of worship. These sites may be towns or cities of special significance such ...

. North and south aisles were added, and chapels north and south of the chancel, and probably also the tower."St Mary's Church, Sundridge"
''Friends of St Mary's Church''. Retrieved 16 April 2025. The aisles were heightened in the 15th century, resulting in tall, narrow aisles, with the earlier

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows above the arcades becoming internal features. The chancel chapels were also heightened, and the chancel arch was rebuilt. The aisles and chapels each have separate pitched roofs. The tower was modified with the addition of buttresses, the stair turret, west door and west window. It has a shingled spire. The chancel was remodelled about 1808 by J. Carter, the work funded by

Lord Frederick Campbell Lord Frederick Campbell (20 June 1729 – 8 June 1816) was a British politician. He was Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, 1768–1816; Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Burghs (1761–1780) and for Argyllshire (1780–1799). Biography ...

. There was restoration by G. E. Street in 1848–1849. After a fire in 1882, the chancel was repaired and its roof was rebuilt. There was further restoration to the church in the early 20th century by W. D. Caröe.

Interior

There is a brass chandelier dated 1726, given by Edward Tenison, at one time Rector of Sundridge. The timber pulpit and choir stalls are of the late 19th century. The carved

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

, of Caen stone, dates from 1877. There is stained glass of the late 19th and early 20th century, including in the south aisle a depiction of the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lychg ...

. There is a brass of Roger Isley (died 1429),

lord of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

of Sundridge, and a brass of Thomas Isley (died 1518), lord of the manor, and his wife with their ten sons and three daughters. There are marble busts of Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll and Lady Caroline Conway, by Anne Damer, daughter of Caroline. Anne Damer was buried at the church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundridge, St Mary's Church Church of England church buildings in Kent Grade I listed churches in Kent Sundridge