St Mary and St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone | |
---|---|
51°4′46″N1°10′54″E / 51.07944°N 1.18167°E | |
OS grid reference | TR 229 359 |
Location | Folkestone |
Country | United Kingdom |
Denomination | Church of England |
Website | http://stmaryandsteanswythe.org/ |
Architecture | |
Heritage designation | Grade II* |
Designated | 5 December 1949 [1] |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Canterbury |
Deanery | Elham Deanery |
St Mary and St Eanswythe's Church is a Grade II* listed Anglican church in Folkestone, Kent, situated not far from cliffs overlooking the English Channel. Parts of the building date from the 13th century, but it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. It is unusual in having a central tower.
St Eanswythe was an Anglo-Saxon princess, a granddaughter of king Æthelberht of Kent (who was converted to Christianity by Augustine of Canterbury), and daughter of king Eadbald of Kent, who reigned from 616 to 640. [2] [3] She was born about 630, and it is believed that she was the abbess of a nunnery here. [4]
The nunnery was later destroyed, perhaps by falling into the sea, or sacked by Vikings in 867. In 1138, after intermediate rebuilding, a new monastery was built, Folkestone Priory, with a church dedicated to St Mary and St Eanswythe, the foundation of the present building; the relics of St Eanswythe were brought into the church on 12 September 1138. The building was destroyed in a fire in 1216, and restored in 1220, and extended in 1236. [3] [5] [6]
In parts of the present building, the earlier church (before the 19th century) is still visible: the arcade of the chancel is of the 13th century; the lady chapel (north of the chancel) and St Eanswythe's chapel (south of the chancel), and the arches of the tower, are of the 15th century. [1]
During the incumbency of Canon Matthew Woodward, vicar from 1851 to 1898, the church was largely rebuilt. [4] The nave and north aisle were rebuilt by R. C. Hussey in the 1850s. The west window and porch were created by Stallwood in 1872. The south chancel aisle and transept were rebuilt in 1869, the south aisle in 1974. [1] The three altar windows, and the windows in the Lady Chapel, were created by C. E. Kempe. [7]
During renovation of the church in 1885, a reliquary was discovered in a niche in the walls near the altar. From the ornamentation it was judged to be of the 12th century. It contained the bones of a young woman who died in the 7th century; from the position of the reliquary, it was concluded that they were the remains of St Eanswythe. They were re-interred in the same place, the niche covered by a brass door and grille. [5] [8] Scientific re-examination early in 2020 confirmed that they almost certainly did belong to Eanswythe. [9]
It is known there was an organ in the church in 1528. It was rebuilt several times in the 19th century; further history from earlier centuries is little known. The present organ was built in the south transept by William Hill & Sons of London in 1894 and then rebuilt and enlarged in 1930 by Hill, Norman & Beard, so that it had 39 stops. [10]
In December 2023, permission was granted by King Charles III for William Brown, a local boy killed in a hit-and-run incident, to be buried in the churchyard. The 'burial ground variation order', as advised by the Privy Council, permits burials at churchyards previously closed to new interments. [11]
St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill, is the Borough and Parish Church at Harrow on the Hill in northwest London, England. It is a Grade I-listed building.
Richard Charles Hussey (1806–1887), often referred to as R. C. Hussey, was a British architect. He was in partnership with Thomas Rickman from 1835, whose practice he assumed in 1838 with the latter's failing health; Rickman died on 4 January, 1841.
The Church of St Mary & St Nicholas is an Anglican parish church in Leatherhead, Surrey, England. Dating originally to around the 11th century, it remains a place of worship to this day. It is a Grade II* listed building.
St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval churches, not only in Cheshire, but in the whole of England. The architectural writer Raymond Richards described it as "one of the great architectural treasures of Cheshire", and Alec Clifton-Taylor included it in his list of "outstanding" English parish churches.
Saint Eanswith, also spelled Eanswythe or Eanswide, was an Anglo-Saxon princess, who is said to have founded Folkestone Priory, one of the first Christian monastic communities for women in Britain. Her possible remains were the subject of research, published in 2020.
St Mary's Church in the village of Purton in north Wiltshire, England, is an active Church of England parish church in the Diocese of Bristol. A large building begun in the 13th century and one of only three churches in England to have both a western tower and a central spire, it has been designated as a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.
St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, 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 Trust designated St Mary's as its first Conservation Church in 2015. It is the largest church in Shrewsbury. Clifton-Taylor includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.
St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Higham, 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 at the north of Lower Higham, in the hamlet of Church Street, some 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Rochester.
St. Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the town of Sandwich, 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 is on Strand Street towards the north end of the town.
St Laurence's Church is in Union Street, Chorley, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Chorley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
The Church of St Candida and Holy Cross is an Anglican church in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England. A Saxon church stood on the site but nothing remains of that structure. The earliest parts of the church date from the 12th century when it was rebuilt by Benedictine monks. Further major rebuilding work took place in the 13th century and in the 14th century the church's prominent tower was constructed. The church features some Norman architectural features but is predominantly Early English and Perpendicular. George Somers, founder of the colony of Bermuda, is buried under the vestry and the assassinated Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is interred in the churchyard. It is an active Church of England parish church in the deanery of Lyme Bay, the archdeaconry of Sherborne, and the diocese of Salisbury. It is one of only two parish churches in the country to have a shrine that contains the relics of their patron saint. The relics belong to St. Candida to whom the church is dedicated. The church been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.
St Columba's Church is in the village of Warcop, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with St Theobald, Musgrave. and nine other parishes to form the Heart of Eden benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. On Saint Peter's Day, 29 June, each year the church hosts a rushbearing ceremony.
St Mary's Church stands on a hill in the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ellesmere, the archdeaconry of Salop, and the diocese of Lichfield. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
St Mary's Church, Wingham, is an Anglican parish church in Wingham, Kent. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
St Eanswith's Church is a Grade II* listed Anglican church in the village of Brenzett, Kent, about 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Rye, East Sussex. A church was originally built on this site in the 7th century; the present building dates from the 12th century and has later modifications.
St Mary's Church, Presbytery and Convent are in Back Lane, Little Crosby, Sefton, Merseyside, England. The church is an active Roman Catholic parish church in the diocese of Liverpool which was built in 1845–47. The presbytery and convent were both built in the 18th century, and altered in the 19th century. The convent originated as a chapel, and has since been converted into a private dwelling. Both the church and the former convent with its attached presbytery are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade II listed buildings.
The Church of St Mary of the Assumption is in Yorkshire Street, Burnley, Lancashire, England. It is an active Roman Catholic parish church in the diocese of Salford. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It was built between 1846 and 1849 to replace a smaller chapel on a different site. The church was designed by Weightman and Hadfield in Decorated style, and a chapel was added to it in 1879.
St Thomas of Canterbury Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Canterbury, Kent, England. It was built from 1874 to 1875 in the Gothic Revival style. It is situated on the corner of Burgate and Canterbury Lane, west of Lower Bridge Street, opposite the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in the centre of the city. It is the only Roman Catholic church in Canterbury, built on the site of a medieval church ; the old St Mary Magdalen’s Tower was retained. The church contains relics of Thomas Becket.
The Church of St Mary and St Melor is the parish church of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire. The Grade I listed church dates from the 12th century and may be connected with the 10th-century Amesbury Priory or its 12th-century successor, Amesbury Abbey.
St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is designated a Grade I listed building.