Catriona standing under the open spire of St Mary’s.
The historic market town of Faversham has a creek and a distinguished maritime history as well as more than 500 buildings listed with English Heritage. The highest and most visible of these is the church of St Mary of Charity, featuring an ornate corona (open) spire that can be seen from all over town and is lit up to stunning effect at dusk.
The history page on the Church’s website, reveals that St Mary of Charity was built in the 14th and 15th centuries and restored in the 19th century to resemble the building we see today. It is Grade 1 listed and its spire was added during the 18th century after the existing medieval spire was deemed unsafe.
The distinctiveness of the spire drew me to it and I wanted to get a sense of what Faversham looked like from an elevated perspective. I had seen a very old photograph of someone standing on the church roof, so I knew it was possible to get up there. On a whim, I contacted St Mary's and got through to Catriona the parish administrator who immediately offered to escort me up, which was just as well because the climb wasn’t straightforward.
It all began easily enough, one chilly March day in 2015. I followed Catriona through a doorway that led to a narrow, spiral staircase which took us up to the ringing chamber, just as the late afternoon light was filtering through the windows. Next we climbed up a further flight of wooden steps to the bell chamber itself and the eight bells of St Mary’s loomed above us. It was exhilarating to be so close to them, they are really impressive. I found the next bit of the climb the most difficult, there was no staircase this time, just a wooden ladder leading to a narrow ledge adjacent to the huge bells. Catriona went first and was clearly used to doing this. Once level with the huge bells, she expertly balanced on the outer wooden frame of one, careful not to make it move and ring out all over town.
Next it was my turn. It was a very tight squeeze, I also needed both hands and didn’t want anything to put me off balance, so I made a quick decision to leave my rucksack and tripod on a nearby ledge and carried on with just my Canon 5D and a single lens. As I took that first step onto the bell frame, it began to sway quite a bit and I clung on, bracing myself for a deafening clang but thankfully all remained quiet, the swaying gradually subsiding. With Catriona’s much needed encouragement, I waited until the bell was completely still and then hoisted myself up to the final ladder and with some relief followed her up and through a door in the ceiling, straight out on to the roof.
Furtively, I approached the parapet but soon found I was wholly distracted by the beautiful, ornate spire and expansive views of Faversham. The architectural detail of the spire was awe-inspiring at this scale and the landscape beyond went through several transformations as the March sun gently set. We’d timed it perfectly.
Looking out, I could see where Faversham’s Abbey would have stood, founded in 1148 by King Stephen and Queen Matilda and destroyed in 1538, now the playing fields of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School. The opposite view was dominated by the roof of what was once the Rigden Brewery, now home to the Tesco Superstore and Ask Pizza. Towards the centre of town I could see the octagonal cupola of the Guildhall, another Faversham icon.
I felt hugely privileged to be up there. Catriona let me have plenty of time and we just remained there, me snapping, us chatting until the sun dropped below the horizon and for a while I was on top of the world.
To order prints of select images either send me an email here or visit my Etsy shop at FstopStudio.Etsy.com
Print prices are:
A3 £50 - 420 x 297mm - (16.5 x 11.7 inches)
A2 £60 - 594 x 420mm - (23.4 x 16.5 inches)
A1 £70- 841 x 594mm - (33.1 x 23.4 inches)
10% of all profits will be donated to St Mary of Charity, who are raising money to carry out essential repairs and provide better access for people with mobility issues.
© Images and text Amanda Russell, all rights reserved.