This is the old church of St Mary, standing on the banks of the
River Medway at one of its early ferry crossing points. On the
opposite bank stands Snodland, whose church has a similar tower and
the suggestion that these buildings were used as shelters by
medieval pilgrims is probably correct.
The earliest parts of this church are Norman, and it was
enlarged in the 14th century and the tower added sometime during
the next hundred years (possibly financed by Pilgrims). The church
was abandoned in the late nineteenth century when a replacement
church was built in the village centre.
The church fell into a state of disrepair and its fittings,
apart from the Font, were removed. However restoration work
began in 1956 and today the church is in the care of The Churches
Conservation Trust.
The Church is used for occasional services, and is open to show
the rustic, partially plastered interior and two ancient Norman
fonts.
Burham New Church - St
Mary's
The new church was built in 1881 by E W Stephens of Maidstone
and opened its doors for worship on the 30th June 1882.
Constructed of Ragstone it was an impressive Gothic-styled
building. Unfortunately the buttresses and foundations of the
building were not adequate for the weight of the Tower and the
building began to sink. The Ragstone was found to be of
second grade facing stone only with a core of crumbling
cement. The building became unsafe and less than 100 years
after its dedication, had to be demolished. Houses were built on
the site and all that remains today is the War memorial at the top
of Church Street.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I
would just ask that you could let
Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church
numbers and names to avoid duplication
To view the church micro stats page, please click here
Congratulation to DrDnMe for the FTF