About Us

Hemley Church lies at the heart of the village within a clear view of the River Deben. The village is small with a population of just over 50. 

Enjoy lovely views towards Newbourne on one side and the Deben on the other, from the lane which leads just to tiny Hemley and to the marshes. Its elegant tower (c.1500) – a masterpiece in mellow Tudor brick, beckons us to an idyllic spot – a far cry from the world of tower-blocks & motorways!

The dilapidated church was sympathetically rebuilt in 1889 to the designs of Frederick Barnes and Howard Gaye, re-using the old materials. The 14C north and south doorways were re-set in the nave wall. The Revd William Cavell (see his 1719 memorial on the East wall) may have been related to Nurse Edith Cavell. Thomas Adam’s (1775) epitaph (gravestone, near the road) is worth reading.

Older treasures survive inside. The Purbeck marble font dates from the 1100s, the Royal Arms are those of King George III, the altar table is 17C, as is the ‘imported’ reredos, which was rescued from a Belgian church in 1918.