The Norman South Doorway © PE Blanche 2001 Brick buttress in Northeast corner of the tower. © PE Blanche 2001

This is an attractive and in appearance, a solidly built Church with an unusual central crossing tower - there are few of this type in Kent. I say that the appearance is solid because one other rather odd feature of the Church is some, also unusual, brick buttressing against the corners of the tower. This may be for support which is normal although it might also be to stop water entering at these points, I can't say either way for certain. There has been a Church on this site since about 50 years after St. Augustine landed in Kent. The present Church originated in the 12th Century an has several Norman features and arches inside the Church. The Norman Southwest doorway inside the porch which is pictured (top left) still has scratch dials marked in the stone at teh side of the door. These scratch dials which were in use well before clocks and watches were availble to the ordinary parishioners would give a reasonable indication as to the time for regular services. This Church, like so many others had a porch added in Victorian times, and obviously at that point, the scratch dial was of no further use. Inside the Church is the monument of Sir Edwin Sandys (1561 - 1629) and his wife, who is not named in either reference I have. The American and British Commonwealth Association of the United States have installed a tablet to this individual who seems to have started the whole, "no taxation without representation" debate that eventually had something to do with the War of Independence in one of our largest colonies! The picture below is of a Bale Vault which stands near the North entrance to the Church in the far Northwest corner of the Churchyard. The inscriptions on the front of the tomb are now badly eroded but I could make out the names of Pett and Hannan. It would obviously have been a family of means that erected this tomb and I was a little surprised that it would have been placed so far from the Church.