© PE Blanche 2002 The Nave looking East under the Central Tower with the Altar in the distance. © PE Blanche 2002 Detail - Central Tower ceiling © P.E. Blanche 2002 The Nave looking West to the Harvey Memorial Window (1874)

When you enter this Church it's initially difficult to work out whether the interior is what is known as "High Church" or whether it is very "Victorian". I suppose that I came to the conclusion that it's High Church created by Victorians but with a certain amount of the very old here and there. In reality, the Victorians had little choice but to heavily renovate this Church as it had suffered badly over the years and particularly as the result of the great storm in 1705 when half the Nave was lost and only temporarily repaired at the time by adding a sloping roof to the West end of the Church. Several early 19th Century prints of the Church shill show this sloping roof. In 1851 Canon Matthew Woodward became the Vicar of this Church and started a period of total renovation which was to last for 47 years. Much of this work was carried out by R.C. Hussey who was also responsible for repairs to Chester Cathedral. Because of the former poor condition of the Nave, what we see today is virtually all reconstructed during these Victorian renovations. The older parts of the Church start at the central tower and continue down to the East end of the Chancel and side Chapels although there is extensive additions made to certain areas here as well. The altar and reredos are good examples although Arthur Mee's "Kent" describes them as "over-embellished" in oak, marble and brass. There are some fine examples of Victorian wall paintings and decoration and an example can be seen in the middle picture on the left showing a corner of the ceiling under the 15th Century tower The main part of the Chancel dates from the 13th Century. Returning to the Nave, the large West window by Kempe was installed in 1874 to commemorate the life of William Harvey, who, in 1616, made the discovery that blood circulated around the body. The window was paid for by public subscription from members of the medical profession. William Harvey was born in Folkestone, it is believed in 1578 and probably in Church Street. There is a brass to his Mother in the Church and his Father was four times Mayor of the Town.