BROOKLAND

 

Brookland is a tiny village on Romney Marsh, just off the A249 from Brenzett towards Rye. The name means 'land by marshy ground'. Very appropriate, as it lies on the edge of Romney Marsh.  Thankfully, it was by-passed a few years ago, so now is quiet and unspoiled. 

Romney Marsh was the centre of the smuggling trade, and the 'Battle of Brookland' in 1821 between the notorious Aldington Gang and the Excise men was one of the most violent skirmishes of its' kind ever held. 

The parish Church of St Augustine has the unusual, if not unique, feature of an entirely wooden spire being separate from the body of the church. Popular myth is that the steeple looked down at a wedding service to see such a beautiful bride marrying such an unpleasant groom that it jumped off the church in shock. A more popular story is that one day a virgin presented herself to be married and the church spire fell off at the unusual occurrence. And it is said that it will remain on the ground until another virgin marries there.

Another legend is that the architect didn't have a big enough piece of paper when he drew up the plans for the church, so he drew the steeple alongside the church, and that's how the builders built it!

In fact, it is separate as the weight of the tower on top of the church could not be supported by the marshy ground.

The wooden framework inside the tower, which supports the bells, is said to consist of timbers taken from nearby wrecks. When it was built in around 1260, its huge timbers were exposed, but in the 15th century the entire structure was covered in wooden cladding in three layers one on top of the other (like stacked cups) much increasing the height of the structure.

The cedar cladding we see today dates from 1936.

The clock was installed in the curious little tower to the right of the door in 1955 to commemorate the part played by the people of Brookland in the Second World War. 

The north porch is mainly constructed of timber and has curious half doors, a little like a Wild West saloon! The Church Guide says that at one time, the upper gates were discarded and kept inside the church while the lower ones were surmounted with spikes to keep horses from jumping the gate to enter the church during a service.

Inside, the church is as pretty as the outside, and still retains its box pews. The church is entered through rural stable doors, and is light and airy, with very few alterations over the years.

The Norman lead font is still in use. Made in the 1100s, it is one of only 30 such fonts in Britain. On it are two sets of scenes, one depicting the labours of the month such as scything, pruning, threshing and hunting and the other set showing the signs of the zodiac. The names of the  months are in early French, seemingly confirming its country of origin. It is generally assumed to have been brought back from one of the many cross-channel raids during the 13th. and 14th. centuries. However, after the Conquest, French was the language of the nobility of England as well, and England had a thriving lead industry in the west of the country.

Such fonts were once a "budget" item and that there were many more of them in the mediaeval period than there are today; but that they were often melted down for their metal - not least for the manufacture of musket balls!

The simplicity and irregularity of the interior, are entirely in keeping with the curiousness of the bell tower outside. There is no chancel arch, and the aisles differ in the number of arches between them and the nave. On both sides the aisles lean alarmingly due to long-standing problems with uneven settlement of the subsoil.  Apparently, the south aisle already leans beyond its point of theoretical collapse - and the church is still subsiding! The whole gives the impression of  a warmth and fragility seldom found in a parish church.

Of course, it has one of the Romney Marsh Mosaics, that can be found in several of the churches.

Three generations of a military family serving in India

Now, although the postal address for this place is Brookland, the Woolpack lies at some distance from the village, just off the A259, on the Hook Wall, once one of the 'inns' or walls that helped to drain the marshes and now the road that leads to Midley.

The Woolpack, dating from 1410, retains many of its original features such as wattle-and-daube walls and a low, beamed ceilings. Its name comes from its popularity with ‘owlers’ - wool smugglers who used the inn as a base for their lucrative trade.

It remains very little changed inside, from it's huge inglenook fireplace, where you can sit and have your meal (don't do it when it's raining though, because the chimney is open to the skies!), to its uneven brick and tiled floors, it's the unspoilt charm that tourists adore. (and me - we're off for dinner there this evening)

Local brewers, Shepherd Neame, seem to be commissioning new inn signs for all their pubs. This one, for the Woolpack in Brookland, is particularly attractive.