Kempley church is a scheduled ancient monument, in the care of English Heritage.

St Mary's Church is believed to have been built by Hugh de Lacy during the reign of William II, the tower being added in the late 13th century. Members' attention was drawn to the trial application of limewash to the outside of the south wall (see picture), a finish believed to be similar to that used during the Middle Ages.

The church roof and walls are fashioned from local sandstone, the porch of oak. Although no longer visible from below, the roof timbers are the oldest of their type in north-west Europe, dendrochronological dating showing that the roof trusses were cut from timber felled between 1120 and 1150 (see Further Information, below).

Below the tower is the parish chest (right), hollowed out from a section of oak tree and having an elm lid. This is estimated to date from the late 15th or early 16th century.

The most remarkable features of St Mary's Church are its frescoes which, having been whitewashed over in the reign of Edward VI, lay undiscovered until the 1870s.

The frescoes in the chancel are as old as the main part of the church and thus date from the 12th century.

Kempley church from the north-west.