Ash (next Sandwich) - The Church of St. Nicholas
	The spire of St. Nicholas Church over the roof tops of the village. © P.E. Blanche 2000

The Chancel and East Window, The Church of St. Nicholas, Ash. © PE Blanche 2000

The Nave, The Church of St. Nicholas, Ash. © P.E. Blanche 2000

A large Church with lots to see including some nice brasses and older monumental effigies. As is common with many Churches of this age it is a "patchwork" of styles, additions and alterations which have taken place over the years. I'm sure there would be residents and ex-residents of Ash that would not agree with me but I didn't find it a Church that I felt at ease in. Some country Churches have almost a "homely" feel about them but Ash is not one of these. Perhaps it is because the Church seems to be in parts, laid out around the present central tower. The Nave is not large compared with the overall size of the Church but the Chancel which is at the opposite side of the central tower is huge in comparison. Given that there is an small altar placed at the foot of the tower which is probably used for normal services, the congregation must also feel that the Chancel is too remote for use in regular worship.

There are small parts of the walls, particularly in the Northwest corner beside the present Porch that have Norman origins and include Roman tiles which is not uncommon in this area and were possibly scavenged from around the Roman settlement at RIchborough which is not far away. Most of the rest of the Church is of 13th Century construction with a 15th Century tower, some 17th Century renovations and the inevitable Victorian additions and restorations. The Chancel is slightly out of alignment with the Nave as it bends slightly to the South from the point at which it is joined with the tower. There was once a rood screen beneath the Eastern arch of the tower crossing but part of this now stands in the North Chancel. Many local Kent Churches seem, unfortunately, to have removed their rood screens in recent times but the one at St. Nicholas was probably moved in the 18th Century when alterations were made in the North Aisle.

In the South Chancel (pictured top left) stands a large chest or coffer (picture below). It was often in these kinds of chests that many of the Parish Records were "kept", particularly individual items like settlement or removal orders. Those that were written on parchment stood little chance of surviving as parchment, especially when rolled up, turns very brittle and eventually falls to pieces. Unfortunately for genealogists, there have been many Churches where, if the chest has fallen apart or just because of a general tidying up, the records kept in these chests have been thrown away. I am not saying this happened at Ash but included the detail and the picture because I thought it was a fine example of such a chest that many genealogists, particularly from overseas, hear about but never actually see.

© P.E. Blanche 2000

Additional information about the Church monuments and brasses will be added later.