Old St James' Church - Dover, Kent.
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 07.569 E 001° 19.072
31U E 382289 N 5665198
The ruins of Old St James' Church in Castle Hill Road Dover is a commemorative monument to the people of Dover for suffering in WW2.
Waymark Code: WMEF4J
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/20/2012
Views: 6
The remnants of Old St James' Church,
known locally for many years as "The Tidy Ruins", are all that remain of a
church site founded in Saxon times. It is one of the churches of Dover mentioned
in the Domesday Book. It was not only used as a church but also by the Barons of
the Cinque Ports for several official 'Courts' up until 1851. The Court of
Shepway, the governing body of the Cinque Ports met here under the Lord Warden.
The Court of Lodemange, the body that licensed Cinque Port Pilots since 1526,
also met here. The last meeting took place in 1851 with the Duke of Wellington
presiding as Lord Warden.
By 1860, a new larger Parish church was
needed in the St James' ward. The old St James' church fell into disuse for a
number of years before being restored in 1869. The church was virtually
destroyed in WW2 by shells fired from across the Channel by the German's in
France. The large front doors and original Lord Warden bench were rescued and
later handed over to Dover Museum, where they can still be seen today. After
WW2, in 1948, the ruined church was demolished, but these remnants were kept as
a commemorative monument to the people of Dover, who, like the Old St James'
Church, suffered immensely from the German bombs and long range shells in WW2.