St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the town of Sandwich, Kent, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church is in Strand Street towards the north end of the town.
St Mary's stands on the site of a convent established by Domneva in 664–73. This was destroyed by the Danes, and rebuilt by Emma, wife of King Canute. Following the Norman conquest the church was rebuilt again. At this stage it consisted of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, a central tower and, possibly, transepts. The chancel was rebuilt in about 1200. The church was damaged by the French in 1217 and again in 1457, and by an earthquake in 1578. In 1667 the central tower collapsed, destroying the nave arcades. It was rebuilt again, with a wide roof covering the nave and the south aisle. In 1714 a belfry was built on the porch, and galleries were added in the middle of the 18th century. The church was restored in 1869–74 by Joseph Clarke.

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