THE CHURCH OF ST PETER &
ST PAUL AYLESFORD

Aylesford's Parish Church has stood on its hill overlooking a ford of the River Medway some 10 miles south of Rochester in Kent for nearly a Millennium. It is at this ford that Hengist and Horsa are said to have been victorious at the Battle of Aylesford, so paving the way for the Anglo-Saxon era.

It is quite likely, although there is no extant evidence for it, that a Saxon chapel existed before the Normans started building, but the earliest remaining part of the present building is the lower part of the Norman tower. High above the ford, the tower may well have served the dual purpose of watchtower and refuge, since there are signs of an original doorway above the present west entrance. In mediaeval times a bridge replaced the ford, being then the lowest bridging point and the only bridge between Maidstone and Rochester. This bridge, the church on the hill above it, and the old houses and inns with their high-pitched roofs in between, together form a romantic picture up to today (see gallery).

The present church consists of two similarly proportioned naves with their chancels, a form not unknown in elsewhere in Kent The chancels are separated by 14th century pillars, the naves having more slender 15th century ones. Restorations were carried out in 1851,and later in 1878 by Henry Arthur Brassey (1840-1891), who also restored the tower and bells in 1885. Brassey also replaced the old manor house of Aylesford, Preston Hall, with a large gothic residence for his family and himself, and was a great benefactor of Aylesford. The school he built is now the church's Brassey Centre and office. Henry Arthur Brassey's memorial plaque is on the south wall of the nave. Preston Hall became a chest hospital during the first world war and is still a medical centre. In its grounds is the Royal British Legion Village, a home for the elderly disabled, and the Heart of Kent Hospice.

In the north chancel of the church stands a grand memorial to John Banks, of The Friars, a contemporary and friend of Samuel Pepys. There also is the 'Cossington Brass', depicting John Cossington, who died in 1426 (despite rumours to the contrary!) and his wife Sarah. A part of the parish is still named Cossington. In the south chancel is the splendid tomb of Sir Thomas Colepeper, d. 1604. Beautifully sculpted,Thomas and his wife lie on top, their children in relief along the sides. There are other brasses and also memorial plaques, many of them under the tower, well worth seeing. In the churchyard can be seen next to the war memorial a memorial to the Thorndike family. Arthur Thorndike, the father of Dame Sybil, was vicar here 1902-1909.

All the stained glass is Victorian, but none the worse for that. The East Window of the south chancel represents the Te Deum, that in the north chancel the family of the Earls of Aylesford. The organ, by Forster & Andrews of Hull, dates from 1865, and was moved from the north chancel to its present position in 1966. Electricity was not installed until 1938, as recorded on a poignant plaque on the west wall.

Almost 100 years after Arthur Thorndike, and 850 years after the first recorded vicar, 'Jordan', the 64th vicar of Aylesford, and the first of the new millennium, is the Rev Simon Tillotson

Ancient the church may be, but you can communicate with it these days by telephone, 01622 719366, and email (see the  contacts page) and you can visit its website on www.aylesford-church.org.uk