Church of St. Mary the Virgin

The St. Mary the Virgin parish church, assumed to be one of the three Dover churches listed in the 1086 Domesday Book, is inextricably woven into the life of the town. Its squat spire rising above a three-tier tower, it has been a landmark since the Middle Ages, growing and changing in tune with the fashions of the day. While in all probability the building stands on the site of both Roman and Saxon structures, the church was built between 1066, when Saxon Dover was destroyed by the Norman invaders(Although not named specifically, historians believe that the three churches named in the Domesday Book were St. Mary’s, St. Jame's, and St. Peter’s.)

Preceding the Norman Conquest and until England's break with Rome in the 1530s, parishes, comprising a village or group of villages or hamlets and the adjacent lands, had only ecclesiastical functions over which a clergyman had jurisdiction. But, after Henry VIII's reformation and the ascendancy of the Church of England, parishes also acquired civil roles as administrative unit of the Government and aided considerably in the development of public services. Henry VIII gave St. Mary's to the people of Dover for their parish church and it has ever since been at the very core of the town's life.

From 1585 until 1826, the Freeman of Dover elected the mayor inside the church at the Communion Table and annual council meetings, in which the whole town took part, were held in St. Mary's. Today, its stained glass, flags and inscriptions depict much of the town's past. Scenes showing the medieval Maison Dieu hospital, the first school in 1616, the deep water harbor and dock, the Southern Railway, and the heroic events of world wars combine to commemorate the town's historic past, its sorrows, endurance, and civic pride. Town's processionals on Remembrance Day, Good Friday, and Port Sunday end at St. Mary's and the Men of Kent, Red Cross, Townwomen's Guild, Trinity Pilots, and other local groups all celebrate their annual thanksgiving services in the church and on its grounds.

Although originally an example of Norman architectural style, St. Mary’s present appearance dates from a controversial restoration carried out in 1843 its foundations were deemed unsafe because of the number of people buried in its floor . This actually less of a restoration and more of a complete rebuilding--- the building was enlarged, the roof raised, and clerestory windows added. During the rebuilding, the original Norman piers and arches were taken down, the stones numbered, and then re-erected in their new positions. Only the tower escaped relatively untouched to reflect St. Mary's Norman heritage.

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