History of St Michael's
A Short History of St Michael’s
St Michael’s Church is a Grade II* listed building with 11th century origins and developed through major building campaigns in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The building material is principally traditional Kentish ragstone and knapped flint, with pitched tile roofs.
The church was significantly enlarged in the 13th century and the tower was built in the 15th century (it has no foundations!).
The ‘great brick buttress’ was added around 1687 when Bartlett of Whitechapel cast six bells for the church. These have now been augmented to eight.
In 1762, the church was almost completely burned down by an accidental fire, caused when roofers went to lunch and left their brazier burning. Reports at the time said that all that was left were ‘…the bells, the clock and chymes’. The repairs took a total of three years, and many of the flagstones used to form the floor were originally gravestones.
A school was founded in the south transept in 1813, the first public school in the town, and an organ was installed in 1822 on a west gallery. It was later removed on an architect’s advice.
Starting in 1844, a major restoration took place and, during that century, the church changed radically – including the addition of a new altar and reredos, the pews and choir stalls, gas lighting, the organ, several stained-glass windows and a new roof. One tower buttress and the belfry windows were also restored.
In 2007, several pews were removed to make a wider space at the top of the nave.
