New Guide to St. Clement's, Sandwich

New Guidebook Celebrates 1,000 Years of St Clement’s History

A new 60-page, full-colour guidebook for St Clement’s Parish Church in Sandwich, detailing more than 1,000 years of history, including royal visits, saintly visits, and the church's role during the world wars, was officially launched on 9 May at Spellbound Bookshop. Local MP Sir Roger Gale was present, along with members of the parish and other Sandwichians, to hear the Reverend Sebastian Hamilton speak about the new edition.

The revised edition follows on from last year's book, Echoes from the Past: St Clement's Churchyard Rediscovered, by the late Jean Garforth and Lynne O’Donoghue, which told the stories of many of those buried at St Clement’s.

The church is a stunning 12th-century Norman building featuring a central tower, an ornate 15th-century font, a Romanesque nave, and an unusual, at least for Kent, cambered nave vault replete with golden angels which was restored in the 1990s. This fully revamped edition contains photographs and illustrations of some of the highlights of the building. Sebastian Hamilton's edition is highly readable and draws on both previous editions and new material; archival photography is supplemented with photographs by Ian Jones. There is a foreword by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral Sir George Zambellas, and an afterword by the mayor, Emmet Csuka, underlining St. Clement's centrality to the community: https://stclementsandwich.org.uk

The book costs £10 and is available at the church and Spellbound Bookshop https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/spellboundinsandwich