St Mary's

St Mary's is believed to have been founded in 601 as either a minster or a monastery on the site of Regulbium, a Roman fort at Reculver, which was then at the north-eastern extremity of Kent in south-eastern England. The site was given for this purpose by King Ecgberht of Kent to a priest named Bassa, beginning a connection with Kentish kings that led to King Eadberht II of Kent being buried there in the 760s.

The church's early history is marked by periods of control passing between kings of Mercia, Wessex and England, as well as the archbishops of Canterbury. Viking attacks may have extinguished the church's religious community in the 9th century, although an early 11th-century record indicates that the church was then in the hands of a dean accompanied by monks.

By the time of Domesday Book, completed in 1086, St Mary's was serving as a parish church. The original building, which incorporated stone and tiles scavenged from the Roman fort, was a simple one consisting only of a nave and an apsidal chancel, with a small room, or porticus, built out from each of the church's northern and southern sides where the nave and chancel met.

Architecture

The original building was much altered and expanded during the Middle Ages. The addition of twin towers in the 12th century marked one of the last significant changes to the church's structure. The last major addition, in the 15th century, was of north and south porches leading into the nave.

The church's remains were preserved by Trinity House in 1810, since the towers had long been important as a landmark for shipping. Preservation was achieved through the first effective effort to protect the cliff on which the church then stood from further erosion.

Location

St Mary's is located at Ripon Street in Young, Australia. The site of the original Roman fort at Reculver, where the church was founded, is now in Kent, south-eastern England.

Notable Features

The church's remains include fragments of a high cross of stone that once stood inside the church, and two stone columns from a triple arch between the nave and chancel. These features are now kept in Canterbury Cathedral and have led to the church being described as an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture.

Organ and Bells

No information is available on the current organ or bells at St Mary's.

Heritage Status

St Mary's has been recognized for its historical significance, with much of the rest of the original structure being incorporated into a replacement church built at Hillborough in the same parish. The church's remains are also preserved as part of the Canterbury Cathedral complex.

Visiting Information

The current opening hours and accessibility information for St Mary's is not available.

Notable Artworks or Relics

The fragments of the high cross of stone and two stone columns from a triple arch between the nave and chancel, now kept in Canterbury Cathedral, are notable examples of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture.