St Mary the Virgin
Hastingleigh, Kent
This beautifully simple building is in a valley about a mile from Hastingleigh village, there may have been a church here in the 6th century, but the present building is largely Norman and Early English.
The exterior view of the east end of the church is of three flint built gables. Beyond is the unusual and distinctive west tower, capped by a belfry and stubby spire.
The church has Norman origins, probably being built in the 1090s. Many additions to the Norman church were built in each of the ensuing centuries, the aisles in the late 1100s, part of the tower in the 12th century, the extended chancel in the 13th century, the north and south chapels in the early 14th century and so on through the ages, culminating in major restoration in the 19th century.
The present church is an attractive, peaceful mixture of styles with many monuments, most of which are memorials to the Honywood family.