There are 4 Historic Churches in Sandwich. Three of them, St. Clement's, St. Mary's, and St. Peter's also give their names to the old parishes of the town. The United Reformed Church is one of the earliest of the independent chapels - the present building dating back to 1706.
St. Peter's Church Sandwich
This church probably stands on the site of an early Saxon church.
The Normans, who first built the churches of St. Clement's and St. Mary's, probably rebuilt St. Peter's also, as some Norman stones can still be seen at the west end of the nave.
It is believed that this church was destroyed during the French attack in 1216 as it was completely rebuilt soon afterwards by Carmelite monks that came from Normandy .
The aisles were originally lean-to, but were widened in the 14th century, when the north porch was also added; this explains the interior clerestory windows over the north arcade.
The central tower suddenly collapsed at 11:15pm. on the evening of Sunday, October 13th, 1661, after several services had been held in the church during the day.
Much damage was done, the south aisle being completely destroyed.
The church was repaired by Dutch refugees who were allowed to use the building for services.
Note the Dutch bricks of the tower, surmounted by a cupola, and the roof and brick gable of the small stone building adjoining the church at the south-east corner which was repaired at the same time.
This small building consists of an upper hail over a vaulted undercroft, supported by twin octagonal pillars.
This was built in the early 14th century, probably to house the priests of the Ellis Chantry which was in the church, and has been used for a variety of purposes since
The stone staircase which connected the hall with the undercroft in part remains, and can be seen through a modern window from the churchyard.
The curfew is still rung nightly here at 8:00pm each day.
The churchyard has a re-erected a window from the chapel of St. Thomas' Hospital
Some Monumental Inscriptions of St Peter’s Church - Kent Archaeological Society
St. Peter's Church is open to the public every day.
Market Street, Sandwich, Kent - see www.stpeterschurchsandwich.org.uk
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It was written some time ago but the history & places are still relevant also it's in English, French, German and Dutch.
Market Street, Sandwich, Kent
see www.stpeterschurchsandwich.org.uk
St. Peter's Church is open to the public every day.
The wooden west doors are opened on a voluntary basis as often as possible to enable people to enjoy the view into the church afforded by the inner glass doors.
Visitors are able to climb to the top of St. Peter's Tower and see a fine view of the town.
7 days a week 10am to 3pm
£3.50 adults
£2.50 children
also a Family or Group ticket is available
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Information from the Sandwich History Society publications & archives - St. Clement's Church photos on this page from www.geograph.org.uk - copyright Pam Fray & Malcolm Spicer respectively under the Creative Commons License
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