St. Mary the Virgin, Elham

  Construction is under way! The contractor has completed the external drainage work under the watchful eye of our archaeologist. No exceptional finds were revealed during excavations but a small number of bone fragments were found, as expected, and carefully replace in the ground in the trench backfill.  A small area of the churchyard, where surplus soil from the excavations has been spread, has been planted with wildflower seeds. In addition, the redundant brick chimney which housed the old boiler flues has been demolished and removed. The contractor has been given the go-ahead to continue with the project, and will be re-mobilizing this week. Based on their performance to date, we have made an excellent choice of contractor, and James Ford has continued to give us excellent service as our architect.

More good news - The Kent County Council has awarded us a generous grant of £1,000 towards the cost of the project.  Many thanks to our councillor Susan Carey for supporting and arranging this.

 The present Parish Church of Elham, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, built of ragstone and flint, dates from 1170 to 1200, when it replaced a Saxon Church on the same sloping site in the valley of the Nailbourne. The view from across the Square reveals an impressive building with a massive tower of fine proportions completed during the 15th century. The real beauty of the place, however, is in the quality of its furnishings and owes much to the careful restoration of the interior carried out in the early part of the 20th century.

Christian people have worshipped God on this site for over 1000 years. Today, the people of Elham gather here every Sunday to worship in many ways, from the traditional Holy Communion, to the family-orientated Café Church. All ages are welcome to our services and we have a children's corner where they can play. 

Members of the community join together in the church for events other than worship, such as concerts and markets. 

We maintain our church as the living centre of our own Christian life and worship, and we also seek to hand on to succeeding generations not only the building, but also the living faith symbolised by it.