Tags: Fordwich Canterbury Kent
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The central arches lean inwards.
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 church is built of stone, including Kentish ragstone, flints, bricks and tiles. The stonework in the western tower dates from before the Norman conquest, so the church, in parts, is over 1000 years old. Its most prominent external feature is the tower, crowned by a cedar-shingled spire which is of the type known as 'chamfered' or 'splay-foot'.
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The beams are crooked and the central arches lean inwards.
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.
© All Rights Reserved
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.
© All Rights Reserved