[1] A part of the Church of England, it follows the Anglo-Catholic tradition, is a parish of the Society of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda, is under the care of the Bishop of Richborough and is served by clergy of the Society of the Holy Cross.
[3] Aphra Behn, a pioneering female playwright, was baptised here on 14 December 1640.
The church was built around 1160 but received an enlargement during the 13th century and twice during the 19th century; a north transept was built in 1825 but later demolished in 1881 to make way for a new chancel and nave, designed by J. P. St Aubyn, doubling the size of the original church.
[2][non-primary source needed][1] In 1890 the Mission Church of St Gabriel was established nearby in Rough Common as a sister church; it is nicknamed the 'Tin Tabernacle'.
[4][non-primary source needed][5][non-primary source needed] The east window, above the altar, was saved from St Paul's Church in Ramsgate after it was bombed during the Second World War.