all about All Saints and St Christopher's Churches
St Christopher's church sits by the A251 Faversham Road at the apex of the village green. It was once a hall house and still retains many period features. It became the village school, but after the second world war was used for worship when All Saints was declared unsafe. Nowadays it is the focus for Sunday worship from October to May.
All Saints is the parish church of Boughton Aluph and Eastwell, a village on the northern outskirts of Ashford in Kent. The parish has three churches in all: All Saints in Church Lane just off the A28 Ashford to Canterbury road, St Christopher's by the Village Green at Boughton Lees (A251) and the ruined St Mary's by the lake in Eastwell Park. We are part of the United Wye Benefice, a grouping of eight churches including Wye, Hinxhill and Brook "down the hill" and the "upon the hills" group of Hastingleigh, Elmsted, Waltham and Petham in the Kentish Downs. All Saints is used for regular worship from May to early October save for the last two weekends in June, and St Christopher's at other times. Services take place at 9.30am each Sunday: Holy Communion on the first, second and fourth Sundays, and Morning Prayer on the third. On fifth Sundays there is a shared benefice service at one of the eight churches. Details are posted weekly on the home page.
The church sits on the Winchester to Canterbury Pilgrims' Way and has been visited by groups of pilgrims from medieval times to the present day. It boasts some fine architecture and a possibly unique pilgrims' porch with tudor fireplace, and not surprisingly is listed Grade 1 (more detail here). However, it was almost destroyed by a stray fire bomb in the last war and the forced sale of the bells and pews to finance urgent restoration work has resulted in a large flexible space that is used - in more normal times - for many different functions, the most important of which being the annual Stour Music Festival, the Five Church Walk and, until recently, the Wye Charity Ball in support of local charities. More and more it is also being used as a magical spot for wedding receptions (eg meal and disco) after the wedding ceremony. See pics in the Gallery on the Bookings page here.
All Saints is open to the public on practically all weekends from May to September. At other times you may be able to request a key from Mrs Rita Hawes on 01233 627117. For some views of the interior see below, and for a "guided tour" click here.
CHURCHWARDENS' MARCH MAGAZINE NOTES
Frequently a picturesque landscape includes a ruin. This may be the remains of a castle or more often a place of worship. Throughout our history monasteries churches and chapels have been deliberately destroyed or have fallen into disrepair.
Here in Boughton we have such a ruin: St Mary’s church, Eastwell, which sits by the lake in Eastwell Park and is now looked after by the “Friends of Friendless Churches”. You can read about it elsewhere in this site, and we try to hold an open-air service there in the sunshine every June. We also have a Grade 1-listed building: All Saints’ church which is far from a ruin, although it almost became one 80 years ago when hit by a wartime bomb. To ensure that it does not become one we carry out a quinquennial report (ie every five years) when we employ an approved architect to make a detailed check of the building both inside and out. In his report he highlights any problems and we endeavour to remedy them, which can be costly.
Since the previous quinquennial report we have attended to several interior matters so it was not surprising that the major items this time are exterior. Gutters and down-pipes need clearing, plants growing in the walls must be removed, netting in the eaves, which prevents birds entering, needs renewal and lastly but certainly not least some tiles need replacement. We shall be engaging our usual building company - All Saints is a big building!
St Christopher’s also needs some repairs – this time principally connected to what in the trade is termed “rainwater goods”. This is dealt with separately although the money comes from the same pot.
The special Sunday in March is Mothering Sunday which falls on a 3rd Sunday which is the Sunday in the month when we as wardens take the service. A chance to do something special! Please come and support us; you don’t have to be a mother.
We are known as a friendly church and have been contacting newcomers to the village.
Please let us know if you have any queries or if you would like a visit.
Services are at 9.30am at St Christopher’s with Communion on the 2nd and 4th Sundays and Morning Prayer on the others.
Catherine Wear-Davis (07939 129719) and Rita Hawes (01233 627117)
Churchwardens
The Hardy Room at St Christopher's
Saint Christopher's church
Some views inside All Saints
and here's the All Saints' Church stamp for those of you with a Pilgrim's Passport
And finally a view of St Christopher's when it was still a school (date?). The teachers and children are outside and you can just see the headmistress' cottage chimney behind. The porch was later extended to provide a vestry and a new porch added to the other door.
The photo below, taken by a Mr De'Arth of Ashford shows the children and teachers, but where are they? Is the wall behind a section of the Eastwell Park wall? Or are they in what are now allotments behind St Christopher's?
