Description
Iconic Isolation
The St Thomas à Becket Church Fairfield stands alone in a field on the Marsh and surrounded by watercourses and sheep. The causeway was built in 1914 and is dedicated to St Thomas à Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. It is regarded as the most iconic of all the churches on Romney Marsh.
The building would have originally been a timber frame clad in wattle and daub. In time the plasterwork was replaced when the base plate of the frame was removed and walls built on a foundation of brick. Much of the original timberwork remains in the roof frame. In 1912 the fabric was in a very poor state and a complete rebuilding within the timber framework took place. However, the inside of the church was, fortunately, left untouched. It is Georgian, with a three decker pulpit, box pews and texts boards.
Opening Hours
The Church is locked. The keys hang on the wall of the nearby farmhouse towards Appledore.
Picture Credit: Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust.