St Gregory & St Martin
Wye, Kent
There has been a church here, dedicated to St Gregory, since early Saxon times, rebuilt around 1290.
Described as ‘a special treasure among all the lovely churches of Kent’ by Archbishop Fisher in 1952, All Saints lies on the Pilgrims / North Downs Way, up a quiet country lane, west of the A28.
The present large medieval building, replaced an earlier Anglo Saxon church. Aluphus of Boctune rebuilt the north chapel (Moyle chapel, now the vestry) c.1210. Thomas de Aledon continued the rebuilding, completing the chancel and nave by the mid-14th century, resulting in a light and spacious building. Ancient bells once hung in the prominent central tower but were sold with the pews in 1952 to pay for essential structural repair work.
Other notable features include: a bracket by the altar with the face of a woman said to be the ‘fair maid of Kent’, a fresco, dating from c1440 depicting the holy trinity on the north transept wall and a carved wooden screen dating from the 14th century, one of the oldest in England, at the entrance to the vestry. Also of interest are a few encaustic tiles, similar to some found in Canterbury Cathedral, in the floor of the vestry, including a possible ancient altar stone with a deeply carved cross and a bracket showing an angel in flight on the east vestry wall.
The large west and east window have 14th century and 15th century glass respectively. Figures in the east window, were thought to be Edward 111 and Queen Philippa, but recent research suggests they are more likely to depict Christ and the Virgin Mary, representing the Coronation of the Virgin. The south transept window, destroyed in WW11 and bricked up was reinstated in 2010 in memory of the famous counter-tenor Alfred Deller, founder of the annual Stour Festival of early music who is buried in the churchyard. At the entrance to the vestry is a monument, possibly the work of William Wright, of a graceful lady (Amye Clarke nee Moyle) who died in 1631.
Unusual features in the church include a step down from the nave to the chancel and a Tudor fire place in the south porch, thought to have provided shelter for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.