---
title: "St Giles, Shipbourne"
description: "Located in Shipbourne, Kent. Built 1879–81, replacing a 1721–22 church by James Gibbs. Diocese of Rochester. Grade II. Neo-Decorated style."
category: "Church"
tags: ["Church","Church of England","Kent","Shipbourne","Grade II","Gothic Revival","Maun and Saunders","James Gibbs","Diocese of Rochester"]
canonical: "https://thebritishgazette.com/post/st-giles-shipbourne"
pubDate: "2026-09-06T02:39:46.415Z"
dateModified: "2026-09-08T18:59:10.207Z"
location: "Shipbourne, Kent"
country: "England"
county: "Kent"
town: "Shipbourne"
address: "Stumble Hill, Shipbourne, Kent, TN11 9PF"
postcode: "TN11 9PF"
built: "1879–81, replacing a 1721–22 church by James Gibbs"
architect: "Maun and Saunders, for Edward Cazalet of Fairlawne"
denomination: "Church of England"
dedications: ["Giles"]
diocese: "Rochester"
grade: "II"
style: "Neo-Decorated"
materials: "Coursed ragstone rubble with ashlar dressings; tiled roofs"
website: "http://shipbourne.com/st-giles-church/"
openingHours: "Every day, 9am to 5pm or dusk if earlier."
parish: "Shipbourne"
listEntryUrl: "https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072580"
gridReference: "TQ 591 521"
accessNotes: "Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas"
---

# St Giles, Shipbourne

St Giles is a Grade II parish church on Stumble Hill, Shipbourne, Kent, overlooking the village green, in the Diocese of Rochester.

## Overview

Historic England records fragmentary remains of a fourteenth-century chapel on the site after a complete rebuilding of 1721–22 by James Gibbs, itself replaced in 1879–81 by Maun and Saunders for Edward Cazalet of Fairlawne. The present church is a neo-Decorated nave-and-chancel building with transepts and a central tower, in coursed ragstone rubble with ashlar dressings and tiled roofs. The tower has pointed belfry openings, a crenellated parapet to a pyramidal tiled roof, corner gargoyles, and a north-east octagonal stair-tower. A gabled north-west porch has a columned arched entrance.

The interior has full-width nave arches with inlaid decoration, a wooden barrel vault on carved stone colonnettes, and a ribbed brick-and-stone vault to the crossing. The south transept holds a giant aedicule monument to Christopher Vane (d.1723) and his wife Elizabeth (d.1725), with their daughter kneeling below. One arch from the medieval chapel is built into the north transept. A photograph, elevation and plan of the Gibbs church are displayed in the church.

## Further Information

- [Historic England list entry 1072580](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072580)
- [St Giles Church, Shipbourne](http://shipbourne.com/st-giles-church/)
- [British Listed Buildings: Church of St Giles](https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101072580-church-of-st-giles-shipbourne)