The church stands on a site believed to have been occupied by two earlier churches, Saxon and Norman. The present building of local sandstone was begun in the middle of the 14th century and completed appx 1560. Because of its size it has been referred to as the "Cathedral of the Weald".
This beautiful church owes its splendour to the material prosperity of Cranbrook during the 15th and 16th Centuries as a centre of the cloth industry.
A stone staircase leads to a room over the porch which was originally a repositary for church valuables. The room is reputed to have been used later, in Queen Mary's reign, for the confinement of protestant martyrs. Next to the staircase is a total immersion font
The clock mechanism was the prototype for Big Ben
There is a magnificent set of 8 bells, Founded at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The tenor is of 21 cwt - and the bells are rung regularly on Sundays and on Tuesday evening (practice night).
The organ is part of an instrument demonstrated at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
A detailed guide booklet is available in the church.