St. Thomas the Martyr, Winchelsea

Near the coast between Hastings and Rye is the small town of Winchelsea. Originally on the coast, it was destroyed in 1287 be a terrific storm. As a result King Edward I relocated it inland to the present site on the Hill of Ilam. It was named as one of the Cinque Ports (the original five were Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, Sandwich; King Edward added Winchelsea and Rye) that were to prove so important in Edward's many wars to keep and expand this kingdom.

 In the center of this small, neat town is the church of St. Thomas the Martyr.

As you can see much of it is in good shape and parts of it only exist as ruins. The walls that remain only as ruins were once part of the larger portion of the church. All that remains today is the small section. This is result of a series of raids by the French starting 49 years after construction and ending with the current state of affairs in 1360. What is missing now is the entire nave of the church.

Standing on the grassy lawn facing what is now the front of the church was once inside the building.

Things were brought to a head in the 15th century when Henry VIII severed ties with the Pope. The interior of the church fell into decay along with the town. The silting of the harbor made it impossible for trade to continue and everything generally declined.