St. Mary’s is a much loved, beautiful place of prayer and worship, dating in part possibly from the 13th Century. It is large for the size of the village, with some significant monuments; both of these features relate to its association with Chilham Castle. It has a peal of eight bells, which attract bell ringers from beyond the community. Chilham is stunning village located about 6 miles from Canterbury. The village welcomes tourists all year round who flock to walk its quaint traditional streets, the castle which sits right on the edge of the village square, and of course the church. The church recently received a visit from Leslie Smith of the British Society of Master Glass Painters (BSMGP) who prepared a lovely document about St Mary’s stained glass windows and can be read here, we are extremely grateful to him for letting us share it with you.
The church is open to visitors every day and there is plenty of information in the church to help you explore. Keep an eye out for the quiz, walking guide, and information plaques dotted around the church at places of interest.
Please also look at our Friends of St Mary’s Chilham website www.friendsofstmaryschilham.org It has lots of historical facts about our church accompanied by stunning photographs of both inside and outside our church as well as current news and events.
Services
Please see the latest Benefice newsletter for service times at https://kingswoodbenefice.co.uk/category/newsletter
Toddler Group
Our baby and toddler group meets every Tuesday 10am-11:30am. Toys, snacks and drinks for children and their adults are provided and there’s no cost to join us. We meet through most of the holidays, with a short break over Christmas and Easter. Children 0-4 years are all welcome, accompanied by their parents/carers.
There is a Facebook page for up to date information.
Choir
Chilham St Mary’s has a choir that sings at the two communion services each month, and meets on the Thursday afternoons in the week of those services.
The choir has been running since 1974, started by Chris Godfrey. Since then the choir has taken many forms and seen different seasons in the church’s life, been involved in concerts, weddings, flower festivals, and many other celebrations and events. Now on a much smaller scale, the choir members still enjoy the benefit of community singing and are always open to new members.
Please contact [email protected] if you would like to find out more.