England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Alkham St Anthony the Martyr

The Parish

The parish of Alkham lies in the extreme southeast of Kent not too far from its English Channel coastline. Alkham is sited roughly 5 miles west of the port & town of Dover and sits a little over 2 miles north of the A20 road which links Dover with Folkestone and onwards to London. Alkham is a valley village lying in a steeply sided dry valley within rolling chalk downland, most of the village properties lie along the Alkham Valley Road such is the steepness of the valley sides, smaller settlements are also found within the extensive wider parish at Ewell Minnis and Wolverton. The chalk downland would have been dominated by grazing sheep for much of its history, the thin soils relatively unsuitable for crop growing, today, however, with modern machinery and fertilisers the area has turned increasingly arable. Whilst Alkham's valley is dry at the village, to the northeast at Wolverton a small stream emerges and leads northeastwards to join the River Dour, the latter turns southeast to reach the English Channel through Dover. Alkham is sited at around 60 metres above the sea outside its valley setting land rises to almost 150 metres to the west on ridge tops. Alkham parish was extensive for its area, more than twice the size of its near neighbours at just over 3.100 acres and within that acreage it would have supported a population of around 600 parishioners. Whilst Alkham is not mentioned in Domesday Book two small manors held by Bishop Odo of Bayeux are so recorded, neither Swanton or Boswell Banks manor contributed more than a single plough each.

The Church

St Anthony's church sits on the rising slopes to the north of the Alkham Valley Road reached by a track alongside the Marquis of Granby Inn. As Pevsner rightfully declares it is a "flint church of considerable interest & beauty" and with a long and varied history. Whilst early gazetteers place the church into the Norman Romanesque period Pevsner notes nothing older than c1200 where redundant arches to north & south in the basal portion of the tower are flagged as the oldest fabric he notes. Of a more certain age is the chancel, exhibiting the classic Early English Gothic motifs of lancet windows. Lancets are also found in the unaltered northern chapel of the mid-13th century, the chancel being slightly younger at c1300. The dating of the western tower complete with iconic tiled and pyramidal cap is uncertain because of much later alteration but cannot be younger than the early 14th century. Most of the windows which are not lancets date from 14th and 15th century alterations in the twin styles of that era, firstly the Decorated seen well on the chancel's southern face and secondly the Perpendicular also on  a south face that of the aisle. A typical Victorian restoration took place in 1872 and Pevsner is critical describing it as "harsh if faithful". Parking should be sought along the valley bottom road and the church approached on foot, the site is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.