St Mary’s Church, Minster

Certainly one of the finest churches in Kent, St Mary’s, Minster has pre-Norman foundations, and it is thought that the remains of a much older Anglo-Saxon church lie beneath the present church. Originally founded in 670 AD as a small monastic parish church, it was later sacked by the Danes circa 1011 and rebuilt. Traditionally called the ‘Cathedral of the Marshes’, it is easy to see why; the scale and architectural details are impressive. The church has a high degree of historic and aesthetic value, reflected in its Grade I listed status. It is also located on a site of great archaeological interest.

The western tower, as noted in the list description, is thought to date from the C11, with the builders perhaps reusing earlier material from the Anglo-Saxon period. Of interest is the buttress, which appears to contain reused Roman brick, possibly from a Roman villa in the area. Comprising three stages with its pilaster buttresses, string courses, and battlements, the tower stands as both a visual centerpiece and a testament to the craftsmanship of its medieval builders. Crowned by a shingled spire, the tower is a striking architectural feature. A square south-eastern stair turret, although truncated, adds a touch of architectural intrigue.

The chancel is typically Early English in architecture and style, and the nave is also impressive. It has been suggested by the Kent Archaeological Society that ‘walls of the eastern three bays of the nave. These ‘thin’ walls, which were later pierced for arcades,’ could be part of the original nave. In the 19th century, the church underwent major alterations, as was common at the time, and this included adding flying buttresses to the chancel. Despite recent alterations, the building is clearly of a high degree of architectural, historic, and archaeological interest and is well worth a visit