St. Michael and All Angels, Cuxton

[merc]

"If you would see a church miswent, then you must go to Cuxton in Kent."

[kyn]

Thats a nice looking church, i'm getting withdrawel symptoms!!!

[merc]

Thats a nice looking church, i'm getting withdrawel symptoms!!!

It is a nice church  

Another church i had all to myself lol

It's good to look around the church, see the history, and all the details and care that's gone into it.

I'll add some info about the church soon...

[merc]

People have been living in the Cuxton area for thousands of years. Large numbers of flint tools from the Stone Age have been found in the Rectory grounds. The name 'Cuxton' is thought to derive from 'Cucola', a Saxon. The Cucola Stone was a mark, or boundary stone at the intersection of two ancient trackways nearby. There was probably a pre-christian shrine at the site. The church is dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, a common name for churches built on hills or at mark stones.

It's well known that the church does not face due East, but unusually more to the South. One explanation is that there was already sacred buildings on the site when the church was laid out, another is that on St. Michael's Day (September 29) the sun rises from the south and the church orientation reflects this. The oldest parts of the church are the remains of the Norman church, which would have been a small Nave and a short Chancel. Much of todays church is from the 1860's restoration. The present font is Victorian, pieces from the mediaeval one used to be half buried in the churchyard, but were moved inside to better preserve them. To the left of the entrance door are the remains of a Stoup, where parishioners washed in holy water as they entered the church. The tower was built in the fifteenth century, but extensive repairs were carried out to it in 1964.

[kyn]

Good info, thanks Merc 

[Paul Narramore]

Not an easy church to find and easily missed when travelling along the main road. In my quest a couple of years ago to photograph the headstones of all the local Commonwealth War Graves Commisssion headstones, I at last visited the churchyard on the steep hillside. I guess most of you are familiar with FindaGrave.com but many of the local CWGC headstones are on there.

[oldsunset]

nice old watercolour here of church dated 1805 calling it "cuckstone"....i like it spelt this way it sounds more ancient than cuxton

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/kinggeorge/c/003ktop00000018u015a0002.html

[tristgo]

It's well known that the church does not face due East, but unusually more to the South. One explanation is that there was already sacred buildings on the site when the church was laid out, another is that on St. Michael's Day (September 29) the sun rises from the south and the church orientation reflects this.

This is a nice theory about the Saint's day connection, but September 29 is very close to an equinox and so the sun would rise closer to east at that time than it does in winter or midsummer.

[ann]

Have been going through my old postcard collection and came across this one which I think quite interesting.

Ann