St. Nicholas Church, New Romney, Kent.

St. Nicholas is a Grade I listed church that dates back to the 12th Century. It is the only surviving church of three in New Romney. The others were St. Martin and St. Laurence, both of which were demolished in the 16th Century. The nave and clerestory date from the 12th Century and are made from Caen stone which can be found on Canterbury cathedral, the Diocese of which St. Nicholas falls under. 

The building was expanded around the 14th Century to include two side chapels and improvements to existing parts. 

The church was situated near a harbour but the storm of 1287 changed the course of the River Rother. Boats would have been moored at the end of the churchyard but the area was flooded with sand, silt and shingle. Visible marks can still be detected inside the church on the pillars. 

The church contains the tomb of Richard Stuppenye (d.1622) who was the jurat of New Romney. New mayors were elected around his tombstone until the 19th Century. 

The church is well looked after and closely associated with the local school which holds the same name. On my November visit the church was preparing for a visit from the bishop for a confirmation. 

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Hope Church of the All Saints, New Romney, Kent.

The Hope Church of All Saints is a ruined church building on Romney Marsh, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of New Romney, in Kent, England, near the road from Ivychurch to New Romney. Since 2017 a sculpture park has been created on the site.

It is thought that the church, in the former parish of Hope, was founded in the 12th century. It was still in use in 1543, but had fallen into decay by 1573; the bells were removed to the Church of St Nicholas at New Romney. Hope Church was recorded as ruinous in 1663.

There have been surface finds of medieval objects near the site, including coins from the 11th to the 13th century. These, and traces of a possible sunken road near the church, suggest that there was a deserted medieval village nearby.

The site is a scheduled monument; the standing remains are Grade II listed.

The church, rectangular in plan, is built of roughly coursed stone interspersed with flint. At the west end, walls survive as L-shaped blocks at the corners, to a height of about 4.5 metres (15 ft), with a gap between them. There is a similar block at the south-east corner of the chancel. The surviving walls are linked by foundations. A rectangular ditch, enclosing an area about 63 by 53 metres (207 by 174 ft), surrounds the church, with a break in the east and west sides.

The IMOS Foundation, an arts charity founded by Briony Kapoor, undertook the care of the site in February 2017. Four bridges were erected across the surrounding ditch to improve access to the church, and more than 200 trees have been planted. A sculpture park has been created: the sculptures include those of saints of all kinds, since "... the idea evolved... to use... the widest possible meaning of the word ALL in All Saints."

IMOS Foundation can be found here and appointments can be booked via enquiries@imosfoundation.org.