Visitors book in St Cosmus' and St Damian's church, Blean.
"This church was very heavily restored in 1866 when the whole of the chancel was refaced and a large new north aisle was added.
Only the west wall of the nave, and a small part of its south wall show anything of the ancient fabric, but it is clear that the nave walls are basically 13th century in date. The west wall and south west quoins appear to have been rebuilt at this time and contain reused pieces of Caen and Reigate stone (probably from the 12th century church). The south east quoin of the nave, which has been rebuilt (in 1866), is made of small block Caenstone, which also suggests a 12th century date. The north door of the new north aisle has side jambs of Caenstone with simple stopped chamfers. This is also perhaps of later 12th century date (? reused from the nave north door). The south door is c. 13th century with simple broached stop chamfers.
The central lancet window on the south side of the chancel is also partly ancient (? 13th century). All the other windows in the chancel were renewed externally in 1866 but the three north lancets have mainly 13th century re-rearches inside. There was originally a two-light window in the E. wall (with quatrefoil above) as the 1807 Petrie drawing shows.
On the south side of the nave, something of the earlier plaster facing has survived. East of the porch, however, it has been renewed recently (and painted grey!).
There is one restored lancet in the middle of the south side of the nave, and to the east of it a 2-light perp. window with hood mould (15th century) made of Caenstone and Kentish rag. The inserted 2-light west window is also perp. and under a hood mould. It is surrounded by early buff brick (15th century), no doubt put in when the window was inserted.
There was once a bell-turret (with one bell), above the west gable (mentioned by Hasted), but this has been removed, and a new bell-turret has been placed at the west end of the north aisle. It contains a bell.
The south porch, recently restored, is perhaps an early 20th century replacement of an earlier one.
Internally late medieval crown post roofs survive over the nave and chancel (3 bays in the nave and 2 in the chancel - The chancel roof had earlier racked to the east). In the nave, the wall plates and tie beams have a simple concave chamfer, while in the chancel it is a double concave chamfer on the wall plates and tiebeams. There is no chancel arch just the two end trusses for the roofs abutting. On the underside of the nave tie-beam, mortice holes for a central post with braces on either side and smaller holes for struts. This may relate to a rood screen/loft.
There is also a plain octagonal font on a step in the S.W. corner of the nave.
The 1866 restoration has removed almost all earlier features, though the 1697 altar rails (with turned balusters) and altar table base (now in N. aisle chapel) of similar date is there. There are also two Bethersden marble slabs in the chancel central aisle and the fine early 18th century Boys wall monument in the S.W. corner.
The late Victorian fittings (pews, choir stalls, pulpit etc) are quite good, and there is also some good late Victorian and later glass (a few fragments of earlier glass have been put in the border of the central lancet on the south side of the chancel). The best glass is perhaps the three east lights, which were designed in 1866 by Holiday and made by Powell's (Newman N.E. Kent (3rd ed.) 146). There is quite a good 1866 3-bay side purlin and windbrace roof in the new north aisle."
SOURCE - (
visit link)