Parish Church of St Martin

Parish Church of St Martin is the historic parish church of Epsom, in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey. It combines a medieval flint tower with a nave rebuilt in the 1820s and Edwardian additions, and it holds a Grade II* listing.

What is the history of St Martin's in Epsom?

The church has medieval roots. The oldest part still standing is the flint tower, usually dated to around 1450. By the early nineteenth century the old building had become cramped and was in poor repair, so the parishioners decided on a rebuild. The nave was reconstructed in 1824–25 to designs by a London architect named Hatchard, from Pimlico. The vicar, the Rev. Joseph Darby, laid the first stone on 19 May 1825.

The rebuilding did not wipe out everything earlier. The medieval tower, the font and a number of older memorials were kept and incorporated into the new church. This mix of centuries is the main reason the building is worth a look.

How did the church change in the twentieth century?

The east end was added in the Edwardian period. The choir and transepts followed in 1907–08, designed by Sir Charles Nicholson, a well-known church architect of the time. In 1909 the west gallery installed in 1824 was taken out, which uncovered the arches of the tower and opened up the view into the nave.

In September 2025 the parish marked 200 years since the start of the 1820s rebuild, with events that included a talk and a service of Choral Evensong.

What can you see inside and around the church?

• Monuments. The interior contains memorials by two leading British sculptors, John Flaxman and Francis Chantrey. They are of interest to anyone who likes funerary sculpture.
• The medieval tower and font. These are the surviving older elements from before the nineteenth-century rebuild.
• The churchyard. It holds Georgian headstones and gives a sense of the town's past.
• Architecture. You can read the different building phases in the stonework, from the flint tower to the Edwardian east end.

What is the church's role in the local parish?

St Martin's is the mother church of Epsom. In 1843 it founded Christ Church on Epsom Common as a chapel of ease, and that church became a separate parish in 1874. A second chapel of ease, St John's, was opened in the east of the parish. This shows how the town grew around the original parish church.

Frequently asked questions

Is the church listed? Yes, it is Grade II* listed, a status given to particularly important buildings.

How old is the tower? The flint tower dates from around 1450.

When was the nave rebuilt? Between 1824 and 1825, to a design by Hatchard of Pimlico.

Which sculptors are represented inside? John Flaxman and Francis Chantrey.

Is it still a working church? Yes. It is an active parish church, and it recently held celebrations for its bicentenary of the rebuild. Check the parish's own information for service times and visiting hours before you go.

Where is it? In the centre of Epsom, in the borough of Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, south-west of London.