The church of St. Thomas the Martyr, Winchelsea, in the autumn sunshine.
The present church of St Thomas the Martyr dates form 1288 when a new churc was built to replace the one destroyed when the old town of Winchelsea was destroyed by a storm in 1288. Edward 1 ordered that a new town be built on the hill top of Iham. The church is built of Caen stone with rafters of Sussex oak. At this time Winchelsea was a flourishing port. However it suffered several times from French raids. A raid in 1399 lead to the nave being damaged by fire. During the late Tudor period the church fell into disrepair. In 1688 John Evelyn recorded the church as being "In a deplorable state." The decay continued and in the early C19th it was declared as being "Almost unfit for worship." !n 1850 restoration began. Today the chuch is in good order with fine architecture and stained glass windows.
Size: 5150px × 3421px
Location: The church of St. Thomas the Martyr, Winchelsea, East Sussex UK
Photo credit: © Brian Hartshorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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