Until the 19th century Groombridge was a village of 17 houses on the Kent side of the border with East Sussex, and server by St John’s Church in the Diocese of Rochester. The lands belonged to the manot based at Groombridge Place – a building that still stands in the village today and has been used as a set for a range of films including the Draftsman’s Contract and the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice.
The original village was also the location of Burrswood, a remarkable and internationally known Christian healing centre. Burrswood closed at the end of the pandemic, but the beautiful grounds woodland are still open to the public.
The arrival of the railways in the 19th century had a huge impact on Groombridge. The village expanded up the other side of the hill, with St Thomas’s’ Church and St Thomas’s School at the top of the hill. The new development was all in the county of East Sussex (and in the Diocese Chichester). This has little impact on daily life, though Groombridge received national attention during the pandemic as the pubs in the two different parts of the village were under different lockdown rules.
Right up to the 1980s, Groombridge became a busy railway village, with new housing and serving lines in four different directions. Today, the Spa Valley line runs steam trains at weekends on the old line, though Eridge Station – a 4 minute drive from Groombridge – still house an hourly direct service to London.
Today the village is largely residential with a very lively community of which the church forms an important part. Although the two parts of the village remain in separate jurisdictions – both church and local authority – it is today very much one village with many overlapping networks.
The Church building
The church was designed by Norman Shaw and opened in 1884. It remained largely unchanged until in 2009 a balcony was built at the west end, creating a community room underneath with a glass partition wall separating it from the main church. In October 2010 the pews were removed and replaced with chairs. The floor was levelled and carpeted, allowing the layout to vary for services and outreach events.
It is a simple, accessible, contemplative space open every day of the year.