The Bier House, Ospringe, Kent
Visited August 2020
Across the road from the Church of St Peter and St Paul, on the outskirts of village of Ospringe near Faversham in Kent is this bier house, one of only a handful in England.
The small flint bier house or mortuary house was probably built in mid-19th century, and was used to house coffins ahead of burial. It apparently stands on the site of a spring, which has long since dried up, although there was a stream and pond behind it in living memory, since ploughed out of existence. The window above the door is a re-used Medieval slit window. At the back is a contemporary toilet and urinal (delightful!) not accessible from the road.
The building is locked, and used for storage by the church, but it's worth stopping for a look, and there's some parking across the road in front of the church which is also well worth a visit. Nearby, too, is the Stone Chapel, a Roman mausoleum (or possibly temple) of the 3rd Century which was later converted in the early Medieval period into a chapel, and extended later, until it fell out of use in the 16th century.
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