Parish of St Mary, Bishopsbourne
East Bridge Deanery

St Mary's parish is part of the Barham Downs Benefice, and shares a Rector with Barham, Kingston and Wymynswold.
Details of parish personnel are available on the Benefice page.

Bishopsbourne is a very small village of about 200 people, but in addition to the church there is also a thriving pub The Mermaid (famous for its real ale), and village hall, named Conrad Hall after the famous author who once lived in the village.

The most well known Rector is Richard Hooker, the 15th century divine and author of "On Ecclesiastical Polity" a seminal work of several volumes which defines what the Church of England is. Apparently his preaching did not always match up to the dynamic style of his writing and he sometimes could not be heard from the pulpit. There is a fine memorial in the choir, and a statuette which once stood in the Rectory (demolished in the 1950s) which was his home.

The church is large, of stone and flint, and has both north and south aisles. Transepts to the north and south were added in the late 19th century. One as a chapel to the Prestige family, and one to house the organ. On the upper arcading of the Nave can been seen the remains of mediaeval wall paintings showing a number of saints and Christ in majesty. Recent lighting improvements has made them much more visible for the visitor.

There is also a considerable amount of mediaeval glass, mostly reconstructed and recorded by the Courtauld Institute and available on their website www.cvma.ac.uk.

The east wall is covered in mosaic tiles, many of gold, in the style of William Morris, and depicting natural shapes, leaves and grapes, and the west window is of the three virtues faith hope and charity by well known artist.

Services are held in traditional language, including choral matins every month.

To contact the Churchwardens click here or via the Rector.