St George’s Church, Ivychurch, hosted the 34th AGM of the Romney Marsh Historical Churches Trust on Saturday, June 4. The Trust has made significant grants to St George’s in recent years, funding repairs to the north wall and installing new lighting. It has also acted as the catalyst in attracting Heritage Lottery funding for reinstatement of the great west window which is in imminent danger of collapse. Addressing the meeting, former church warden John Hendy declared: “With an electoral roll of only 15, we would be lost without the Trust”.
Since its foundation, the Trust has awarded grants totalling over £900,000 to support the 14 medieval churches on the Marsh. It has net assets of over £800,000, boosted recently by two generous legacies. Peter Anwyl-Harris, chairman, told members that in the last year alone £73,000 had been granted in aid of the churches of Lydd, Burmarsh, Newchurch and Ivychurch.
The invited guest speaker was Michael Turnbull, the retired Bishop of Durham. He spoke of the enduring values that inspired the creation of Britain’s historic churches, comparing their contribution to our national culture alongside the work of Shakespeare and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, whose anniversaries are being celebrated this year.
St George’s, Ivychurch, is usually seen by visitors as a huge empty space filled with natural light. It is known as “the cathedral of the Marsh” though no doubt there are those who would prefer the claims of St Nicholas, New Romney or All Saints, Lydd. Services are held there fortnightly. The present church dates from around AD 1360 and was described by Sir Reginald Blomfield, architect, as “the best example of decorated architecture in the district”. The north aisle is given over to a museum of agricultural implements.
The Trust runs members’ tours of Marsh churches led by Joan Campbell, author of an excellent guide-book, the first tour this year being on Saturday July 30 and the second on Saturday September 17. Full details and membership applications can be obtained from Elizabeth Marshall: email sec@romneychurches.net.
photo: Kenneth Bird