EGN NEWS DESK
Two historical church buildings in Kent, closed for over 650 years after the outbreak of the Black Death plague decimated their congregations, have lastly re-opened to the general public in a celebratory occasion. The sister church buildings, Dode and St Benedict’s at Paddlesworth, positioned simply 1.5 miles aside, welcomed guests on Sunday 18 August 2024, in a historic occasion marking their simultaneous re-opening.
Both church buildings, which date again to the early 1100s, had been as soon as thriving Christian group centres till the Black Death struck in 1349. The plague worn out the inhabitants of Dode solely, leaving solely the church standing. The parish priest was subsequently moved to Paddlesworth, and Dode remained unused for hundreds of years.
Douglas Chapman, the present keeper of Dode church, bought the location round 35 years in the past and has since spent a long time restoring it. The Norman stonework, foundations, and roof design are of explicit curiosity to these finding out websites of Christian worship within the United Kingdom.
Mr Chapman described the restoration as a “labour of affection” and recounted the in depth work required to deliver the church again to its unique situation. “It had been locked up for 600-odd years,” he defined, including that, though the roof had been changed within the early 1900s, the constructing had fallen into extreme disrepair.
When Mr Chapman first acquired the church, it was in a dire state, having been partly desecrated and generally used as a rural “medication den”. Over the next decade, he painstakingly cleared out the location, restored its unique options, and put in primary utilities like electrical energy and water. “The place basically hadn’t been touched, or at the least hadn’t been used, since 1367, when the priest was despatched to Paddlesworth as a result of everyone in Dode was both dead or had left,” he stated, in response to the Metro newspaper, reflecting on the lengthy journey of restoration that lastly culminated within the church”s reopening.
Visitors had been invited to stroll the scenic path between the 2 church buildings, providing a glimpse into the wealthy historical past of the North Downs. Mr Chapman famous, “The church buildings had been each all the time full however not overcrowded, and other people walked between the 2 within the North Downs. It’s the primary time the 2 church buildings have ever carried out something like that.”
He additionally added, “The church buildings are very related. They are very close to and had been inbuilt an virtually an identical method round 1100, on the finish of William the Conqueror’s reign.”
Though there’s supposedly a mass grave beneath or close to Dode church, Mr Chapman has refused to let archaeologists excavate.
Visitors can anticipate to see a photograph exhibition, previous maps, and historic paperwork – together with one courting again to 1367, when the parishes of Dode and Paddlesworth had been mixed.
Mr Chapman additionally shared the intriguing native perception that Gundulf – often known as Gundulph – a Christian bishop serving in Rochester who constructed Dode church, impressed the character of Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’. He remarked, “Tolkien was a professor of Medieval historical past and would have recognized all about Gundulf. The idea is that Gundulf grew to become Gandalf … It’s a disgrace Tolkien is not round to substantiate it.”
Dode Church will probably be accessible for wedding ceremony companies and naming ceremonies and can proceed to open to the general public as soon as each six weeks. Visitors may also request a go to to St Benedict’s Anglican Church at any time.
With justifiable delight within the restoration, Mr Chapman stated, “People will get to go to two historical church buildings, and hopefully, they are going to admire the historical past and the work that has gone into them.”
