Trackbed Walkers: St Thomas à Becket, Fairfield church

Tuesday 28 February 2017

St Thomas à Becket, Fairfield church

Fairfield church lies between Brenzett and Brookland on a minor road in a deserted part of the Romney Marsh .

St Thomas à Becket, Fairfield church by framemeplease

The area was won from the sea , sometime between 1200 and 1270. The monks from Canterbury built dykes to the western edge of the Rhee Wall (the sea defenses built by the Romans) and enclosed the land so reclaiming the rich and fertile soil from the sea.

St Thomas à Becket, Fairfield church by framemeplease

The year 1287 saw the great storm in which Broomhill was swept away and New Romney barely survived. The Rother luckily changed its course to the sea, and exited the marshes at Rye, whereas before the storm the river found its way to the sea near to modern day Greatstone and littlestone

Fayrefelde existed before 1595 as a map of the time shows the village approximately where the church now sits. It is likely that as the land became more reclaimed so the village sprung up.

Nowadays all that can be seen is the church lying down from the road embankment which is probably the original inning wall. The church was built as a temporary structure of timber lath and plaster in the 1200's to support the local farming community. The exterior has been strengthened with brick, and in 1913 the whole building was reconstructed and encased to preserve it.