The earliest record of St Mary's Church, Goudhurst, is dated 1119 in the reign of Henry 1. There was probably a church on the hill above the village long before then, perhaps even in Saxon times. From the present tower it is said that you can see (on a clear day, and presumably with a telescope!) an many as fifty-one other churches, from Lympne by the marshes to Ide Hill on the North Downs. Formerly this prospect would have been ever more remarkable, for when the tower was built in the early part of the 14th century it was one storey higher and crowned with a spire. The spire stood until 1637 when, during a summer storm it was struck by lightning and burned to destruction. To the North-West, Canary Wharf Tower in London can now be seen, a distance of forty miles.

The earliest church would have been a simple structure, probably on the line of the present south aisle. For hundreds of years the approach was from the south rather than the west as now, for until 1768 there was no road through the village on the line of the present High Street. The narrow Iane on the south side of the church, called Back Lane, was then the only highway.
Though the south door (still used occasionally) has a rounded arch, it is not Norman but middle 14th century. Stonework within the church survives from all periods after the 12th century. Traces of 13th century lancet windows can be seen in the walls of the Sanctuary. The colonnade dates from the early 13th century and is of limestone from Caen in Normandy. The exterior is built of Kentish ragstone.

Chief of the church's treasures is the rare monument in painted wood to Sir Alexander Culpeper and his wife. A fine memorial to other members of the Culpeper family is to be seen in the Bedgebury Chapel. Of three ancient brasses in the chapel, the oldest dates from 1424 and commemorates John Bedgebury who went to Agincourt to fight with his king, Henry V.

Before the Reformation a rood screen and loft spanned the east end of the nave and side aisles. It was removed some time about 1560. Parts of it were used to make the screens of the two side chapels. A door in the north aisle led to the rood-loft turret.

During the Battle of Britain in 1940 two parachute mines destroyed most of the glass in the church. A small panel of 15th century glass survives in the west window of the south aisle. The Te Deum window at the east end is a modern design replacing a memorial window that was destroyed.

There are two other churches in the village - the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and the Methodist Church. For some years members of all three have been working together. This collaborative movement has brought forth some remarkable fruit. Each year confirmation candidates from St Mary's and the Sacred Heart share joint classes and are confirmed (in their own churches) on the same day.

Even more significant, perhaps, is the joint sharing of the Eucharist which takes place on Easter Eve in St Mary's, when members of all the churches kneel side by side and the two priests, assisted by the Methodist Minister, administer the bread and wine at a single table. BBC TV recorded the emotional moment when, for the first time since the Reformation, Catholics and Protestants came together to share in thejoy of the Eucharist in this ancient church.

Vicar: Rev Bill Hornsby 01580 213655