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Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fordwich

Church in Kent, England

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1354781894 · 2026-05-18T05:45:29Z
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Church7 uses in this article aisle6 uses in this article Canterbury3 uses in this article north4 uses in this article chancel3 uses in this article tower3 uses in this article Conservation2 uses in this article Anglo-Saxon2 uses in this article considered2 uses in this article northeast2 uses in this article between2 uses in this article century2 uses in this article arcade2 uses in this article carved2 uses in this article Norman2 uses in this article shrine2 uses in this article window2 uses in this article about2 uses in this article bells2 uses in this article large2 uses in this article

Overview

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a redundant Anglican church in the small town of Fordwich, Kent, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands near to the centre of Fordwich, some northeast of Canterbury.

History

The church dates from the Norman era. Some Anglo-Saxon material is present in the nave. The chancel and north aisle were added in the 12th century.

Exterior

St Mary's is constructed in a mixture of ragstone and other types of stone, flint, and brick, and is partly rendered. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is surmounted by a shingled broach spire. The porch is timber-framed. There are two narrow Anglo-Saxon windows in the north aisle, and a three-light window dating from 1503. In the chancel are two 13th-century windows, and a larger window from the 15th century. The windows in the nave have quatrefoil heads.

Interior

The ground under the arcade between the nave and the aisle has settled, causing the arcade to lean. In the base of the tower is a bread shelf. The 18th-century box pews are still in the church. In the northeast corner of the nave is the civic pew which contains a wrought iron stand to hold the mayor's mace. Above this pew is a cartouche carrying the Cinque Port Arms. The large font stands between the nave and the aisle. It is Norman in style and carved with blank arcading. There is a ring of four bells. They were all cast by Joseph Hatch, one in 1624, and the other three in 1633. The bells are no longer ringable.

Fordwich stone

In the north aisle is a large block of limestone standing about high, carved to give the appearance of a tomb. It dates from about 1100, and is considered to be the former shrine of a saint. It is not known how long it had been in the church but it was removed from the church to Canterbury Cathedral in 1760, and returned to Fordwich in 1877. It is considered that it may have been part of the shrine of Saint Augustine of Canterbury.

See also

*List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England

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