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St Mary's Church, Great Chart

Great Chart's dramatic Great Bull legend says a phantom animal burst into the church during a thunderstorm, injuring or killing people before breaking part of a wall.

St Mary's is an active parish church with regular Sunday worship, not a staffed attraction with guaranteed daily opening. Check the parish before making a special journey, avoid services and private events, and treat the churchyard and memorials respectfully.

Place: Great Chart, Kent
Area: East Kent
Type: Medieval parish church
Source record: Folklore and oral history
Visitor access: Public access

History

The Grade I ragstone church contains an early Norman doorway, a thirteenth-century chancel, a fourteenth-century nave and later medieval aisles, chapels, porch and landmark tower. It remains a functioning place of worship.

Reported activity

The Paranormal Database records a legend, tentatively set in the seventeenth century, in which a great bull appeared inside the church during a thunderstorm, stampeded through the building and knocked down part of a wall. The archive cites published media and a user submission without identifying either, so this is retained as folklore, not a casualty record.

KASE perspective

KASE has not investigated St Mary's. The story is unusual and place-specific, but the lack of an identified historical source means it stays firmly in the folklore classification.

Visiting responsibly

St Mary's is an active parish church with regular Sunday worship, not a staffed attraction with guaranteed daily opening. Check the parish before making a special journey, avoid services and private events, and treat the churchyard and memorials respectfully. Check the venue or landowner's current information before travelling, respect closures and private property, and never enter unsafe or restricted areas.

Find St Mary's Church, Great Chart

The directory map shows St Mary's Church, Great Chart in Great Chart, Kent and can be used to explore other source-checked records nearby.

Sources and further reading

• Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council — St Mary's Church
• Historic England — Church of St Mary Grade I listing
• Paranormal Database — Great Bull archive entry

Last reviewed: 2026-08-20