About Us

Welcome to St Barnabas' Church on Ranmore Common which has been known for many years as "The Church on the North Downs Way". A few years ago Bishop Christopher [of Guildford] visited the church for the first time and remarked "I have discovered that I have another cathedral in the woods".

 Our church has a community life rooted in the Benedictine values of community, hospitality and tradition. We seek to glorify God through traditional Anglican worship offered in a beautiful church building. Our life and worship is rooted in the generous Augustinian orthodoxy of the formularies of the Church of England, and this is reflected in the words of the Book of Common Prayer services that we use during public worship. Music is a significant part of our worshipping life, and the Whyte Effect Choir frequently sings choral services throughout the year.

The parish of Ranmore is sparsely populated and most of the congregation come from surrounding parishes to worship Christ in the special spiritual ambience of this remarkable building, a gem of art and architecture. Most, but not all, services follow the Book of Common Prayer (the church is affiliated to the Prayer Book Society and the Royal School of Church Music) and new members are always welcome to join the worshipping community, and we invite them to be part of this church as it seeks to be the people of God in this place.

The church was built in 1859 by George Cubitt MP who became the 1st Baron Ashcombe in 1892. His architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott who designed a 'High Victoriana' scaled-down cathedral to serve the people who worked on the Denbies Estate and a school in a similar style was built next door. A hundred years ago the number of people working on the estate and their families was counted as between 300 and 400 and a full time Rector looked after them living in the Rectory behind the trees opposite the church. The church is listed Grade II* and is virtually unchanged since 1859. A more detailed history of the church can be found in the “Brief History of the Church” in the panel to the left.

TO DISCUSS MARRIAGES, BAPTISMS OR FUNERALS PLEASE CONTACT THE ST MARTIN'S CHURCH OFFICE at The Christian Centre, St Martin's Church, Church Street, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1DW. Telephone: 01306 884229. Other enquiries can be submitted by email to [email protected] or through our Get in touch page which is lower down on the main menu.