St. Mary's Church. West Malling

The Parish Church of St Mary-the-Virgin is located at the top of the High Street in West Malling. The tower and the western part of the chancel remain from the original Norman church that was built by Bishop Gundulph nearly 1,000 years ago. The Chancel (the area where the High Altar stands) is unusually long and was lengthened in the 13th century. The Nave (the area where people sit) and the Chancel both being rebuilt at that time in the early English style. The frame of the Chancel Roof appears to be very old and may well date from the same period. The nave was rebuilt again in 1778 in the Georgian style after large parts of the nave became dangerous and had to be demolished. One of the big reasons for that was recorded in an old register in 1712:

church West Malling Kent

This image is available to purchase and is part of our West Malling Stock Photos Collection.