All Saints, St Mary`s Bay, Kent

All Saints, St Mary`s Bay Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

St. Mary's Bay is a residential coastal village created in the early 20th century. It was originally a small hamlet known as Jessons, named after the local farm, before it was renamed St. Mary's Bay in 1935. The first houses were built in the late 1920s and were soon followed by a purpose-built holiday park. In 1938-39 the church was built to cater for both holidaymakers and local residents of this growing community. Dedicated to All Saints, it was built by a local man on a shoestring budget as a daughter church to St. Mary-in-the-Marsh, in whose parish the new village was located. It was the first Anglican church to be constructed on the Romney Marsh since the Middle Ages. It is a simple construction made from concrete blocks, consisting of nave, chancel, entrance porch and clergy vestry. The sanctuary is separated from the rest of the nave by a concrete arch. The plain wall behind the altar - now painted red as part of a recent re-ordering - is enlivened by a large metal crucifix in the absence of a traditional east window. There is no stained-glass. Each of the windows has a variety of simple coloured tints. On a sunny day this makes for a beautiful effect. The font is medieval and was given by another church where it was surplus to requirements. It has been painted and restored. In 1949-50 a church hall was built behind the liturgical east end (the church faces north-east) which is still regularly used by the community. In 1983 St. Mary's Bay became a parish in its own right and All Saints was consecrated as the Parish Church. Despite having no architectural merit, this little concrete church is extremely well maintained and cared for. Text by Rob Baker.

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