The Archaeology of St Peter's - Sandwich

St Peter's Church, Sandwich, Kent

Find out what we learned from the recent archaeological dig at St Peter’s as part of Church Tourism Week

Earlier in the year, CCT worked on a project with Canterbury Archaeological Trust and Dover Archaeological Group over five weekends on a community excavation at St Peter’s Church.

St Peter’s may have been founded as early as the mid eleventh century, this date indicated by mention in a document of St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury. The earliest surviving fabric dates from the twelfth century, but most of the fabric seen today is of the thirteenth and fourteenth century. In 1661 the central tower of the church collapsed, destroying the south aisle, which despite plans proposed in the nineteenth century, was never rebuilt. The remains now surround a small paved garden – and this is where the excavation took place.

In this talk, we’ll hear from Keith Parfitt from Canterbury Archaeological Trust and who was at the dig, tell us about the finds from the excavation and the new information we have learned about the church and the town of Sandwich.