Harty Church, Isle of Sheppey (Kent)

St Thomas the Apostle Church,  Harty, Isle of Sheppey

Visited July 2020

On my first day out of London as lockdown eased, we headed to the Isle of Sheppey, on the east coast of Kent. An area with a lot of history (it's said by some that the Isle of Harty, now fused to the Isle of Sheppey,was the site of 'Heorot', Hroþgar's hall and that it took its name from the main settlement there).

Harty has a lovely little church dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle, which dates back to the late 11th century, which was surprisingly open to visitors unlike most. There is some wonderful stained glass inside, and church is made more atmospheric by having no electricity or running water. Oh, and the homemade jam for sale just inside the door is amazing, do get a jar and pop your money in the donation box!

The churchyard appears to have been cleared relatively recently. It's very large given the size of the church and settlement, but with very few memorials. Around the back are some chest tombs, and a gravestone carved with memento mori and dating from 1748. Most of other stones are of the late 19th century, up to almost the present day.

It doesn't take long to visit here, but it's well worth the drive if you're on the island. You might even see some marsh harriers from the RSPB raptor viewpoint en route, we did!