The pink box pews at St Clement Church, Old Romney
Old Romney was probably an island in the Romney Marshes in Roman times. The earliest written reference to Old Romney is from Saxon documents of 791 AD when land was granted to Christ Church, Canterbury. Documents from 1070 onwards list two churches at 'Rumenea' and these may be the Old and New Romney churches today.
The dedication of Old Romney Church to St.Clement may relate to the time when Canute was the Danish king of England. St.Clement would be an important saint in a port town, having been martyred by being thrown into the sea with an anchor tied around his neck.
Both towns were affected by silting and the emphasis shifted from Old Romney [now a small village] to New Romney as the harbour contracted and moved gradually seawards. A manuscript found in France in 1972 and dated to around 1140AD is the first to use the term Old Romney and this was confirmed in a charter of 1220AD.
The present building is dated from the late 11th century or early 12th century by the church guide book but 'mid 12th century' by the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust [see also my New Romney photos which refer to other dating differences between these sources]. St Clement's would have first been a nave and chancel but this was added to with a south aisle and the tower in the 13th century and a north aisle a few decades later. Two chapels were added in the late 13th century. The porch is 14th century and is on the north side of the building, which is unusual.
www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/sets/72157594378775641/ to view the full set/.
The north chapel is dedicated to Our Lady and the Fraternity of Our Lady, a medieval guild, held services here. The south chapel is dedicated to St.Catherine and was likewise used by another guild, the Brotherhood of St. Catherine.
The font is of Purbeck marble, dated to about 1300AD, and stands on four legs. The triple decker pulpit was reduced to a more modest size in a later restoration but special mention must be made of the pink painted box pews. Painted [rather than stained and grained] box pews also occur at Fairfield on Romney Marsh and I was told by a parishioner that they were more practical to repaint if scuffed by farmers' boots.
The box pews at Old Romney were originally battleship grey but the church was chosen as a filmset by movie-makers for a Dr Syn film. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Syn for more about Dr Syn. Try as I might I cannot sort out which film as the two major movies were made by Walt Disney and Hammer yet the church guide says that funding came from the Rank Film organisation. In addition to repainting the box pews the film company also repaired the steps to the gallery and left a further donation.
A parishioner told me the congregation kept the pink as it makes the interior of the church brighter. Well I'm not arguing with that!
The pink box pews at St Clement Church, Old Romney
Old Romney was probably an island in the Romney Marshes in Roman times. The earliest written reference to Old Romney is from Saxon documents of 791 AD when land was granted to Christ Church, Canterbury. Documents from 1070 onwards list two churches at 'Rumenea' and these may be the Old and New Romney churches today.
The dedication of Old Romney Church to St.Clement may relate to the time when Canute was the Danish king of England. St.Clement would be an important saint in a port town, having been martyred by being thrown into the sea with an anchor tied around his neck.
Both towns were affected by silting and the emphasis shifted from Old Romney [now a small village] to New Romney as the harbour contracted and moved gradually seawards. A manuscript found in France in 1972 and dated to around 1140AD is the first to use the term Old Romney and this was confirmed in a charter of 1220AD.
The present building is dated from the late 11th century or early 12th century by the church guide book but 'mid 12th century' by the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust [see also my New Romney photos which refer to other dating differences between these sources]. St Clement's would have first been a nave and chancel but this was added to with a south aisle and the tower in the 13th century and a north aisle a few decades later. Two chapels were added in the late 13th century. The porch is 14th century and is on the north side of the building, which is unusual.
www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/sets/72157594378775641/ to view the full set/.
The north chapel is dedicated to Our Lady and the Fraternity of Our Lady, a medieval guild, held services here. The south chapel is dedicated to St.Catherine and was likewise used by another guild, the Brotherhood of St. Catherine.
The font is of Purbeck marble, dated to about 1300AD, and stands on four legs. The triple decker pulpit was reduced to a more modest size in a later restoration but special mention must be made of the pink painted box pews. Painted [rather than stained and grained] box pews also occur at Fairfield on Romney Marsh and I was told by a parishioner that they were more practical to repaint if scuffed by farmers' boots.
The box pews at Old Romney were originally battleship grey but the church was chosen as a filmset by movie-makers for a Dr Syn film. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Syn for more about Dr Syn. Try as I might I cannot sort out which film as the two major movies were made by Walt Disney and Hammer yet the church guide says that funding came from the Rank Film organisation. In addition to repainting the box pews the film company also repaired the steps to the gallery and left a further donation.
A parishioner told me the congregation kept the pink as it makes the interior of the church brighter. Well I'm not arguing with that!