St. Mary's Church, Dover

St Mary's Church is a lovely parish church located on Cannon Street in Dover's town center. This ancient structure is Norman in origin, built between 1066 and 1086. The Domesday book (a comprehensive record of land in England, made in 1086 by order of William I) lists three churches in Dover, and Saint Mary's is assumed to be one of them. Excavations have found the remains of a system of ancient Roman baths under the church's foundation.

A controversial restoration that became almost a rebuilding of the church was done in 1843. It left only a Norman tower of the original building untouched. The current-day architecture of the church is still mainly in the Victorian Gothic style.

Saint Mary's Church is still in use today, offering weekly Sunday morning worship services and Wednesday morning Holy Communion. Inside this picturesque church are commemorative wall memorials and stunning stained glass windows. Across the road from Saint Mary's, you'll find the Eight Bells pub. The eight bells ringing in the historic church tower of Saint Mary's inspired the name.