Cut Bench Mark - Blessed St Mary's Church, Walmer, Kent, UK. - U.K. and Ireland Trigpoints on Waymarking.com

This cut bench mark can be found on the north-west corner of Blessed St Mary's (Old) Church.

Blessed St Mary's (Old) Church was Walmer's original parish church built around 1120. At first it was a private chapel of the d'Auberville family who lived in the adjacent moated 'Walmer Court'. The church was built inside the moated area. For centuries it was administered from Langdon Abbey which had been founded by the d'Auberville family. The abbots appointed one of the monks as priest to Walmer. After the dissolution of the monasteries during the reformation the church became the responsibility of the Archbishop of Canterbury who subsequently appointed the vicar.

By the end of the 18th century Walmer had grown considerably and the church was not big enough for all who attended services there.  In 1826 the church was enlarged and extended to the north, the interior altered to face south. After nearly a hundred years this extension was demolished taking the building back to its original form. However, by the mid 19th century, with further population growth to the north of Walmer nearer the sea, the church was once again too small and poorly located, with many worshippers now attended nearby St Saviour's and St Mary's churches.

As befits a military town the church, it contains memorials to army and navy officers, the most important being the hatchment of The Duke of Wellington. He was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and a frequent worshipper in the church. When he died at Walmer Castle a hatchment was carried in front of the cortege to the station and it now hangs in the church. Sadly, like many other churches, this one too is often found locked.