A thousand years of history! The present church was built 1774 - 1777 to the design of George Gibson on the site of earlier churches. Gibson's design incorporated the tower (1471-1512) of the medieval church. The chancel, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, was added in 1881 when the nave was re-modelled in Victorian style. Extensive re-ordering work started in 1995.

St Mary’s Church has stood at the midway point of Lewisham’s very long and defining high street since at least the 11th century. The Benedictine monks of the Abbey of St Peter’s, Ghent in Flanders were given Lewisham and Greenwich by Elstrudis, daughter of King Alfred and wife of Baldwin, Count of Flanders in the early 10th century. The monks would have built a church in Lewisham but the date of this first church is not known.