St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church, Brabourne

Brabourne is tucked away in the Kent countryside off the beaten track, its hard to think the M20 and HS1 are only a few miles away. The church is outstanding, at its core its largely a 12th century Norman building with some later additions but it's this earlier phase which commands attention here. The exterior is full of wonderful Norman features with the North chancel wall being the purest form. On the southern side is a lovely little priest door. Inside does not disappoint, there is an amazingly old wooden ladder leading up to the tower that I would no doubt has been there since the tower was built. As you move down towards the chancel your eyes are drawn to the chancel arch and the corbels in the wall - was Brabourne destined to be vaulted? If it was it never happened. Then we come to the two gems of this church - one is a rare Heart Burial of which I believe there is only one other in Kent, and second is the remarkable window in the North Wall of the chancel, a standard round headed Norman design but containing outstanding 12th century painted glass which has remained in-situ since it was installed. How this escaped the Reformation is unbelievable... Whilst at Brabourne, there is a good pub here for refreshments and also do try to go a couple of miles north to the village of Brook and its 12th century church. Here you will find much of interest including a rare Tower Chapel which is well worth a look.
Jan 26th, 2023

Beautiful church in lovely East Kent
Mar 6th, 2022

A lovely, atmospheric church, an essentially English experience. It's a meditation just to be there and read the history, especially that of the local Scott family, a human tale writ across centuries that would make a great book.
Jan 21st, 2022

Aug 14th, 2021

Great church
Jul 10th, 2020