ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH
Here is no great piece of Gothic architecture, boasting a history over the centuries and included in all the best guide books. Rather we have a simple, homely bulding of Kentish rag-stone, of a design very common in the late Victorian period. Alas, no distinguished belfry, but an unassuming little tower containing one solitary bell, which for years has aroused very mixed feelings in its hearers! Many, however, do appreciate its call to worship, which can only be described as "homely" - in keeping with the church itself. Certainly when, from time to time, it has been under repair, the sound has been conspicuous by its absence. Due to its location on a steep hillside, the Church is perforce orientated North to South, instead of the more usual East to West pattern. The present chancel and vestries were added some twenty years after the opening of the original building. There had been no Anglican Church in Borstal until the Church School was built on the bank opposite in 1868 and used for a few years also as a Church. The whole area was at that time part of the Parish of St. Margaret, Rochester. The foundation stone of St. Matthew's Church itself was at laid on July 29th 1878 by the Earl of Darnley, whose family were for centuries resident at Cobham Hall, the famous Tudor mansion five miles westward across the River Medway. The first service was held in the new Church on July 22nd 1879 and the building eventually became the base of the newly-constituted Parish of St. Matthew, hived off from the very extensive Parish of St. Margaret. A few years later, a Faculty was obtained for the extension of the Church to accomodate the present Choir Stalls, Sanctuary and Choir and Clergy vestries - the cost (in 1904) a mere 1,285! The foundation stone for this extension was laid by the Countess of Darnley in 1905.
the published coords will take you to the noticeboard where you will find a phone number 01634 abcdef. to find the cache please solve the following. cache can be found at N51 bb.a(d-c)(a+c+f), E000 b(a+e).f(a-b)(d-b)
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”