St Mary's is a Grade 1 listed building. Mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, the original church is likely to have been of Saxon origin owing to the small amount of building work undertaken by the Normans in the 12th century. However, the church was either enlarged or rebuilt by the Normans; a few stones remain in the corner of the nave and transept which bear typical Norman tooling.
The foundation of the present church probably dates from 1470 and 1490, when the church was extensively renovated and partially rebuilt under the direction (and funding) of Sir John Fogge, who was Lord of the Manor of Repton, about one mile from the church. Fogge had the old steeple removed and the stone the squat tower and its four supporting columns encased. On this strong base his workmen raised the tall perpendicular structure we see today.
At this time it was a near perfect cruciform (cross shaped) church, being 120 feet long with a tower 120 feet high, and about 100 feet across the transepts.
The most important alterations in modern times are the re-ordering of its west end in 2010. This has enabled the church to become a shared community, music and arts venue. On completion of the work, the church was re-dedicated in September 2011 by the Bishop of Dover.
There's much more to discover about our church, so we hope you enjoy your visit.