KentGILLINGHAMStMaryMagdalene(hughllewelynCC-BY-SA2.0)1 HughLlewelyn

St Mary Magdalene

The Church on the Green, the ancient parish church of Gillingham.

Gillingham, Kent

Opening times

Covid19: We used to have open church on Friday mornings, 9am to noon, but restrictions forced us to abandon it. We hope to reintroduce it when restrictions are permanently eased. We also aim to restore coffee mornings (10am to noon) on Tuesday from July. In normal times, we hold summer and Christmas fayres. This year's summer fayre is scheduled for 24th July from 10am to 2pm but this may change due to restrictions.

Address

Gillingham Green
Gillingham
Kent
ME7 1SS

There has been a worshipping community on this site for over 1,000 years and a church was also attested in the Domesday Book. The oldest parts of the current church date (listed Grade II*) from the late 13th or early 14th centuries, with the majority of the church stonework dating from the 15th century; the interior received a restoration in Victorian times.

The church was substantially re-ordered in 2019 to open it up as a community as well as worshipping space.

St Mary Magdalene has a strong link with the Royal Navy derived from the nearby Chatham docks and admirals and chief administrators are recorded on memorial plaques and buried here. Much of the church wall space and plenty of the floor consist of marble plaques (and some brass plates on the wall). The façade of the former windpipe organ remains in place. There is an exceptionally ornate plaster reredos of the apostles and the archangels in the high altar sanctuary and a detailed rood beam of a crucified Jesus with his mother Mary and St John either side.

Many of the stained glass windows are hundreds of years old, listing their wealthy benefactors. The font dates to Norman times, with a wooden dome-shaped lid dating from the 17th century that can be raised and lowered via pulleys. Will Adams, the sailor who became a shogun and established links between England and Japan, was baptised here. There is a Victorian wooden pulpit with a figurine of Jesus Christ at the front. At the west door, there is a gallery above it. The tower would often light a beacon to help ships navigate the very close River Medway, a duty only relinquished after World War Two. The current, free church magazine is named after this beacon.

  • Spectacular stained glass

  • National heritage here

  • Magnificent memorials

  • Glorious furnishings

  • Fascinating churchyard

  • Famous connections

  • Enchanting atmosphere

  • Captivating architecture

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Steps to enter the church or churchyard

  • Ramp or level access available on request

  • Parking within 250m

  • On street parking at church

  • Level access to the main areas

  • Dog friendly

  • Café in church

  • Bus stop within 100m

  • Accessible toilets in church

  • This year's summer fayre is scheduled for 24th July from 10am to 2pm but this may change due to Covid19 restrictions.

  • Church of England

  • Repair Grant, £25,000, 2008

  • Our Repair Grants funded urgent repair work to help keep churches open.

Contact information

Other nearby churches

St Augustine

Gillingham, Kent

St Augustine’s church dates from 1916 and is the only church in south east England designed by the great Victorian architect Temple Moore.

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester, Kent

The Cathedral has been a place of Christian worship since 604AD where everyone is welcome to visit to take part in our services, admire our treasures and learn more of our stories.