renaissance tomb

ABOVE A single church can yield no end of treasures. In this case, the church of St Mary, in Chilham, Kent, has the remarkable English Renaissance tomb of Margaret Palmer (d. 1619) made from the local grey Bethersden marble, polished then etched with rose and honeysuckle blossoms and vine leaves in shallow relief. Nearby is the monument to Arthur and Edmund Hardy (d. 1858, presumably of a childhood illness), whose family owned Chilham Castle from 1861 to 1918, sculpted by Alexander Munro, with its unique depiction of a bat and shuttlecock. In the opposite (southern) aisle is the monument to Lady Mary Digges (d. 1631), with alabaster figures of Justice, Temperance, Prudence, and Fortitude (shown here) carved by Nicholas Stone.

Church Crawlers Anonymous

This ‘society’ consists of an informal Facebook group with some 1,600 members. Anyone who shares the group’s passion for exploring places of worship and contributing photographs that inspire others to enjoy visiting such places can join. Perhaps more people would…