Places to Visit in Bexley

Interesting Churches

Please note: where possible, it is advisable to telephone before you make a visit to check opening times and admission charges.

(Numbers refer to key in large-scale map (87k))

If you wish to see inside the churches, you are advised to telephone in advance to ensure that the building will be unlocked.

12. St Paulinus

Crayford. 01322 522078. Parts of this church date back to the 12th century but additions were made in the later medieval period. Look out for the memorial to the wife of the flamboyantly-named Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Cloudesley Shovel. Open every day.

13. St John the Baptist

Erith 01322 332555. Another Norman church which dates from the 12th century. The tower was erected a century later and then in the 19th century, the north aisle was added and the whole building restored. The Wheatley Chapel was for centuries the burial place of successive Lords of the Manor. There are several brasses and a striking memorial to Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury, who died in 1567.

14. St Mary the Virgin

Bexley. 01322 528622. The building dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, though much of it was restored in the 19th century. The church is approached by a lych-gate and its tower is topped by an unusual octagonal shingled spire. Queen Elizabeth II's great grandparents were married in St Mary's Church in 1853.

15. All Saints

Foots Cray. 020 8300 4343. An ancient church, heavily restored in the 1860's, set in the attractive countryside of Foots Cray Meadows. All Saints has a wooden bell tower with a shingled spire and a 12th century font.

16. St James

North Cray. 020 8300 1655. This richly-furnished church is situated in beautiful rural surroundings. Rebuilt in the 19th century, it boasts a fine gateway and several historic tombs. There is also a monument by Chantry to Lady Ellenborough who died in 1821. She was the sister of Viscount Castlereagh, an eminent statesman at the time of the Napoleonic Wars who lived at North Cray.

17. Greek Orthodox Church

Welling. 020 8301 3858. Probably of 13th century origin, this used to be the parish church of St Michael. Traces of medieval murals are still visible.

19. Christ Church

Erith 01322 334729. 19th century. Grade II Listed interior, with magificent murals and stained glass windows. One of the windows depicts the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Mary. (There are thought to be only three others in the country).