St Peter & St Paul's church, Shoreham, Kent
Visited October 2020
The Church of St Peter and St Paul has elements dating from the 14th century, but heavy repairs in the 18th and 19th centuries have removed most traces. We were unable to get inside on our visit (thanks Covid!) but the pulpit is one of two which used to be in Westminster Abbey, and the rood screen is worth seeing I'm told (it includes the pomegranate symbol of Katherine of Aragon, perhaps a link to the visit of her and Henry VIII to nearby Otford Palace). The timber porch is late Medieval and worth a look at too.
The churchyard surrounds the building on all sides. Around the edges are areas still in use, whereas nearer to the church, where the avenue of Irish yew trees is, are many older gravestones with some wonderful inscriptions and memento mori. Do look out for one - second image from the bottom here - with the podgiest skull I've ever seen as a memento mori!
