Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fordwich, Kent
900 years of craftsmanship in a lovely shingle church
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900 years of craftsmanship in a lovely shingle church

This historic church stands in an idyllic spot near the River Stour, leaning somewhat, as a result of a fifteenth-century flood. Inside, the church is mellow and unspoilt, with seventeenth-century fittings and wall paintings. It is home to a strange carved stone, dating from around 1100. Nearly 1.7 metres long, the Fordwich Stone is thought to be a shrine made for the body parts - or relics - of a saint, maybe St Augustine of Canterbury.

There are also box pews and a corporation pew, seventeenth-century rails and altarpiece, and the Royal Arms and Commandments, painted on plaster in 1688. Earlier features include the twelfth-century font made of Bethersden marble and lovely fourteenth-century glass.

Fordwich Guide