St Margaret's Benefice

We have four beautiful village churches in our benefice, with some fantastic examples of Late Saxon / Early Norman architecture, wonderful windows, fascinating and moving memorials.    

St Margaret of Antioch at St Margaret's-at-Cliffe

St Margaret's Grade I listed church may be one of the earliest aisled churches of its date, and is certainly one of the most famous Norman churches in Kent. It's oldest foundations date back to Saxon times.  Take the time to explore the interior, find the ancient maritime graffiti in the stonework, pause over the beautiful windows and read the plaques. In the south wall is a particularly evocative window commemorating three local men who lost their lives in the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster in 1987. The windows behind the main altar have the most wonderful delphinium blue glass which looks magnificent when the sun shines through.

There are steps for pedestrians up from the High Street, or you can enter the churchyard from the village car park, which also gives you level access. If you come from the car park, this is the lovely approach you will come down. Stop and have a look at the fabulous West Door, which is a fine example of Early Norman carving. Conservation work has been carried out on the stonework over 2011/12 to stabilise and preserve this important architectural feature.

We have ramp access at the main door and communions are held at floor level. We have an induction loop for those hard of hearing and large print service books are available. We have toilet facilities with a changing table and potty for little ones, and we provide refreshments after most 10.00am services.  If you are looking to hold a baptism at St Margaret's, these are conducted on the second Sunday of the month, at 12noon.

Our latest Annual Parochial Church Meeting reports can be downloaded below for you to read.

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St Peter at Westcliffe

This lovely little church is on the Dover Road approaching St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, in the hamlet of Westcliffe. It has unusual box pews and an unusually wide aisle, to accommodate the benches that the poor would have used. The wealthy would rent a seat in the box pews!  Behind the church can be found the Dare Memorial Garden, which is our main benefice civic cemetery.


There is a lay-by off the main road in front of the church, for parking, along with bus stops. It is only about half a mile from St Margaret's village, and you can walk safely along a grassy path to the village (but you may need wellies in the wet!)

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St Augustine at East Langdon

St Augustine's is to be found up the hill from the picturesque village green on the right hand side.  With its white interior walls repainted in the past few years, it really is a special place for worship, and the acoustics are wonderful for the frequent concerts held there. It also has new toilet facilities, which were a welcome addition!

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 St Mary the Virgin at West Langdon

Further along the road is the little hamlet of West Langdon, where you will find St Mary the Virgin.

This small church is just perfect for an intimate services and will seat up to 50 people. It is always beautifully decorated for Harvest in particular, and it is well worth discovering this wonderful gem.