St Peter's Church

About

This old Cinque Port church (Cinque Ports were the five harbour towns on the south coast which in Medieval times provided the king with ships and men in exchange for trading and other privileges) is a local landmark. Much of today's building dates from 800 years ago, though it has been altered many times. The handsome tower with its distinctive onion dome top is a 17th-century addition - built by Flemish protestant refugees, in the style of their homeland churches. The dome would have been in place when American Founding Father Thomas Paine was married at St Peter's in 1759. There was once a Norman church on the site and traces of masonry from this building can still be seen at the west end.