Fordwich near Canterbury is the smallest place in Britain with a town council. It has a population of 351. The town grew in the Middle Ages as a port for boats on their way upriver to Canterbury. All of the Caen stone used by the Normans to rebuild Canterbury Cathedral in the 12th and 13th centuries was landed at Fordwich. The Town Hall is supposedly the smallest in England and was rebuilt in 1555.
The ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin (11th to 14th centuries) contains part of a carved sarcophagus reputed to have contained the remains of St Augustine of Canterbury. This view of the church is the only one possible as the building is completely surrounded by trees.
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Fordwich near Canterbury is the smallest place in Britain with a town council. It has a population of 351. The town grew in the Middle Ages as a port for boats on their way upriver to Canterbury. All of the Caen stone used by the Normans to rebuild Canterbury Cathedral in the 12th and 13th centuries was landed at Fordwich. The Town Hall is supposedly the smallest in England and was rebuilt in 1555.
The ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin (11th to 14th centuries) contains part of a carved sarcophagus reputed to have contained the remains of St Augustine of Canterbury. This view of the church is the only one possible as the building is completely surrounded by trees.
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The mysterious Fordwich Stone (bottom right) dates from c. 1100 and was reputedly part of the tomb that contained the bones of St Augustine.
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The nave windows with their medieval glass (late 14th century).
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Plaster tympanum from 1688 inscribed with the royal coat of arms of King William III and the ten commandments. The arms served to remind the congregation that the King was the temporal head of the church. At the time it was made, the tympanum occupied the space in the upper part of the 14th century arch. It was later moved to its present location directly above the arch.
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