The First Church
A church was noted on the present site in 1086 (not the present building), with a strong suggestion of an early pre-Conquest church prior to that. There is an (unproven) folklore suggestion that the site of the present church actually dates from 598, when the early monks accompanying Augustine from Rome set up a shrine to the Saints Cosmus and Damian at this point on the ancient Salt Road to the north Kent coast at Seasalter (which runs past the church).
Dedications to these two saints are very unusual in Britain (there are, in fact, only four in the whole country), but they were at that time very well known in Rome, where the church in their names had been opened in the Forum as recently as 530 (the Basilica of Saints Cosmus & Damian).
Whether true or not, the whole site appears to have been fortified at some point during the dark ages, resulting in the somewhat unusual relics of a wall and moat around what is now our graveyard - it was most likely a fortified manor within which a simple wooden church was included. The site became too restricted after the Conquest, resulting in the manor itself being moved onto what had once been the Roman villa.
These were times of great unrest, and clearly the presence of a fortified structure belonging to Robert de Crevequer (regarded as a "rebel" at a time of virtual civil war) at such a strategic location proved too much for King Henry III, who in 1259 ordered that the walls be razed to the ground and the moat filled in- in fact, only one wall alongside the road was razed, although that was sufficient for military purposes.
To no avail, since the manor was confiscated anyway - such was the political turbulence of the time!
Origins of the Present Church
The present flintstone church, roofed with Kent peg tiles, was rebuilt before 1233, by order of the Crown, and the "Calendar of Liberate Rolls" for 1233 shows Henry lll repaying the sum of £20.3s.8d to Walter de Kirkeham for carrying out this instruction.
From about 1200 onwards, the Eastbridge Hospital had acquired a growing interest in the area, the lordship
of the manor being formally confirmed in 1359, and the Master of Eastbridge still remains the Patron of the parish. It would appear that the fortunes of the manor itself declined after this, and severe fire damage in the late 14th or early 15th century resulted in the site being abandoned.
It seems likely that the local population was then in decline in any case, possibly as a result of the ravages of the Black Death.
Depopulation was a continuing problem right up until the present time, since the local communities polarised towards either Blean or Tyler Hill, a process accelerated by the opening of the present main roads to Whitstable and Herne Bay respectively.
The rebuilt church of circa 1233 is characterised by the lancet windows of Early English Gothic style and has changed little, apart from the closing of two lancets in the west wall and their replacement during the 14th century by a window in the Perpendicular late Gothic style, plus a similar new window in the south wall of the nave.
This latter alteration coincided with the institution of the post of Vicar in the Blean (c.1375), and culminated in the building of the church's finest possession, its timber crown-post roof.
The church at this time was very colourful, with many of the windows being in stained glass (of which only a few fragments remain in one of the chancel lancet windows), a painted rood screen (the marks where it was fitted are still visible in the beams above the pulpit) and several wall paintings dedicated to St. Thomas, the Virgin Mary, and of course our "own" Saints Cosmus and Damian. With sets of candles in front of each, the impression would have been one of a highly coloured interior, typical of the medieval fashions.
Naturally, it all had to go in the religious upheavals following the Reformation, and whitewash became the order of the day - even the stone altar had to be broken up, its wooden replacement itself landing the then Vicar in serious trouble in 1551 as it was judged by the Archdeaconry Court as being "indistinguishable from the stone altar it had replaced!"
Hard times indeed - by the visitation of Archbishop Parker in 1573, it was reported that the church was "devoid of all glazing" - and we complain today of draughts! Apart from the walls and roof, the only major fittings remaining are the 15th Century stone font, the John Boys memorial of 1612 and the Communion Rails of 1697.
Extension during 1860's
The Victorian rebuilding and extension was certainly enthusiastic, although unfortunately much of the original appearance of the church appears to have been obliterated in the process. The whole north wall disappeared to accommodate a sizeable extension, whilst the present single bell gable replaced the earlier wooden turret above the old building (the timbers from which are alleged to have been used in the stables of the then vicarage at Mulberry Down).
The old windows were replaced by new stained glass ones - including work by the well-known Victorian artist Henry Holiday.
Some fragments of the earlier glass were built into one window however, and perhaps more importantly, the quality of the work done has withstood the test of time, and we are very fortunate today in that we have inherited a basically sound structure in good repair.
The plain open pews, choir and pulpit date from 1866, whilst the new organ (strangely sited by today's tastes) was installed in 1909. We are told that the original seating was for 273 souls - perhaps they were thinner in those days! The present main altar is comparatively modern, being designed in 1964 by Harold Anderson (architect to Canterbury Cathedral and a Churchwarden in Blean for 49 years!).
In 2000, after considerable consultation within the parish, the opportunity was taken to re-order the church with the objective of making it more accessible for worship and community use. The restrictive pew layout and the poor acoustics were tackled. In particular the organ was moved to a more appropriate location at the west end of the church.
The pulpit was moved to the place where the organ had originally been sited and it is believed that the opening up of the sight lines resulting from this show off the magnificent timber crown-post roof in all its splendour..
Cache can be found at:
N51 18. A (A-B) (C-B-D)
E001 03. (B-D) (A+C) C
Cache is a magnetic 35mm film pot.
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