The Abbey Church Of St Mary And St Sexburga

The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Sexburga is a large building constructed of flint and rubble. A nunnery was originally founded on this site, which was burned by the Danes in 855 and subsequently rebuilt between 1123 and 1136 by Archbishop Corbeuil. The religious house was dissolved in 1539. What remains are the conventual and parochial churches, standing alongside one another, with the north chancel and nave representing the conventual church and the south chancel and nave the parish church, all executed in the Early English style. A tower is situated at the west end of the north nave, complemented by a south porch. The northern half of the building is the oldest section, incorporating significant Saxon remains, while the majority of the structure is dated to the 13th century. The tower was added in the 15th century but left incomplete; it now features a modern wooden belfry. The east end of the north chancel was constructed in 1581, following the demolition of St Katherine’s Chapel. The south porch dates from 1879-81, when the entire church was restored from ruins by Christian. A late 14th-century screen is present, as is a 12th-century column sculpture depicting the Virgin and Child. Monuments are also found from the 14th and 15th centuries.