Project Case Studies
RE-ROOFING ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH, LYDD
Maintaining the fabric of the ancient churches on Romney Marsh can be incredibly costly and often some of the most important work lies out of sight to ordinary visitors. The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust supported essential work to the huge roof of All Saints’ Lydd, the longest parish church in Kent.
The repaired section of roof appears slightly brighter in this photograph
The Problem & Intervention
The condition of the roof had deteriorated such that water was entering the building. Re-decoration work inside the church could not be carried out due to wet walls.
The full works involved re-tiling the complete south aisle, routing the rainwater drains away from the building and rebuilding the west window of the south aisle. The total cost for the project was £184,000 financed by £89,000 from Listed Places of Worship (Roof) Fund, £65,000 from the Trust and £30,000 VAT reclaim.
Completion & Impact
The project was completed at the end of 2016. The building now has a secure roof and the water is being routed away from the south wall allowing the stonework to dry ready for redecoration.
Repairing the roof has allowed the church walls and interior to dry out, enabling further re-decoration and restoration work. The structural integrity of the building has been maintained. The “Cathedral of the Marsh” welcomes visitors from all around the world and hosted the Trust’s AGM 2023 with guest speaker Dame Joanna Lumley.
This work was part of the much bigger project to re-roof the whole of All Saints and in the longer term, both nave and north aisle roofs will need attention. However, it was judged that the next priority was maintenance of the leaded windows which involved both glazing and stone repairs/refurbishment. The Trust allocated £25,000 to All Saints’ to allow a full assessment and costing of the necessary work and to carry out the most urgent repairs in 2017-18.
Did You Know?
All Saints’ at Lydd is the longest parish church in Kent at 199 feet and it has one of the tallest towers.
A place of worship has stood continually on this site for over a millennium - the masonry of the church spans over 1,000 years. Parts of the masonry here are the oldest on the Marsh - the remains of an 8th century Saxon basilica are incorporated into the walls of the north-west corner and remains the oldest masonry in the district.
Close to the entrance is an impressive sculpture by English sculptor, illustrator, and designer John Flaxman, a leading artist of the Neoclassical style in England.
The entire east end was destroyed by bomb damage in 1940. It was painstakingly and carefully restored. A painting of the damage was sent to Winston Churchill - then Prime Minister and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The painting and Churchill letter can be viewed inside the church.
The North chapel has the tomb of a Crusader, Sir Walter de Menyl.
More about All Saints
LYDD
3D Virtual Tour preview - the South Aisle at Lydd.
More photos of All Saints, Lydd
Find out more
Discover more about All Saints Church at Lydd with our new self-guided tour. Scan the QR code on your mobile device or click the tour button to view online.
Listen online
An audio-only version of the tour is also available to listen to here.
