History of St. Mary’s Church, Park Road.

From Saxon times until 1925, the parish was part of Holy Trinity Milton; which extended from the Swale in the north, to the top of Gore Court Road in the south. It is impossible for us to know why the parish crossed the London Road; which has existed since Roman times, but Milton was a Royal Manor and it is possible that this part of the land was good for growing foodstuffs, and pasture to which cattle and sheep could be moved when the lower part of the parish was flooded.

The parish was further severed by the construction of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway about 1850. As the area was only sparsely populated at this time, this construction made little difference for several years.

With the establishment of a paper mill and the influx of the railway, houses were required. To supply the bricks for the mill, houses and other establishments and the clay for them was extracted around the area, including what was to become the Convent Grounds, Johnson House Gardens, College Road and Bassett Road.

Towards the end of the 19th century the west end of the town began to see an increase in buildings, and as a result of the brickworks becoming ‘Worked Out’ the land was sold for building. As a result there was a large increase in the number of parishioners for the church at Milton

At the end of the 19th. Century, the Rev. T.T. Lucius Morgan of Holy Trinity, Milton, re-opened negotiations with the Marriott Bequest for a grant to construct a new church; which had originally been approached by a previous vicar, (the Rev. E.W. Carpenter), and together with appeals and donations, sufficient money became available for the erection of a new church in Park Road.

Richard Philip Day, the architect was engaged to draw up plans and specifications. The design he submitted was for a Victorian Gothic style building of brick and stone with a tiled roof, and included a South Aisle and Tower at the West end of the church. The windows, arcade, transept windows doorways, chancel windows and arch being constructed in bath stone. The total cost was quoted as £2,222. As this estimate exceeded the amount raised, the South Aisle and Tower were removed from the project.

On Wednesday, 22nd. May, 1901 the foundation stone was laid by Lady Harris.

Shortly after this, it was discovered that due to the height of the Chancel Arch, numerous ‘Flying Buttresses’ would have to be erected to ensure that the building did not collapse. To obviate this a further loan was obtained from Martin’s Bank, (now Barclay’s Bank) in order that a Lady Chapel and Vestry could be built to support the section of the building.

The church was consecrated on Saturday, 25th. January, 1902.

As the years progressed, it became apparent that the parish area of Holy Trinity, Milton, which was cared for by St. Mary’s would have to become a separate parish. Accordingly, on Tuesday, 28th. July, 1925 a proclamation was made in the London Gazette establishing the separate parish.

In 2000 the parish returned to a United Benefice. However, on this occasion it was not returned to Holy Trinity, Milton, but joined with St. Michael and All Angels Sittingbourne.

A more detailed history can be found in ‘The First One Hundred Years’. (Compiled by G. Randerson. Nov. 2002).