BURMARSH

 (Burgher's marsh) This was originally marshland belonging to the burghers, or citizens, of Canterbury. From early Christian times, the land here was owned by the Monastery of St. Augustine in Canterbury. 

Now a thriving village, when I was young, Burmarsh was little more than a couple of rows of mostly 'tied' cottages, housing the local farm workers. It was very much in the centre of the local wool industry. Needless to say, the church is right next to the pub, the 'Shepherd And Crook' being thus appropriately named. The pub itself, stands on a corner of the road called 'Shearway'.

The Romans are known to have extracted salt here.

All Saints church is a typical village church, and rather pretty. When I was a lot younger (14), in 1962 we travelled round ringing a peal in all the church towers on the Marsh, to celebrate 10 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Burmarsh was one of my favourites. 

The Church of All Saints at Burmarsh dates from the mid 12th century, and is thought to have been built on the site of a previous Saxon church of which no evidence now exists. The tower and nave were rebuilt in the 14th century, when the walls were crenellated, and also buttressed to preclude further movement on the soft marsh ground.  All Saints is the lowest of the marsh churches, being some 4m below sea level.