England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Birchington All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Birchington lies in the extreme northeast of Kent forming a stretch of the county's coastline with the North Sea. Birchington is located roughly 3 1/2 miles west of the coastal resort of Margate and sits on the A28 road which links Margate with Canterbury. Birchington is a much changed settlement, early maps show a rather linear settlement lying along the line of today's A28 around the junction of the that road with the B2050 arriving from Ramsgate. The settlement has grown into a coastal resort as a consequence of late Victorian plans to rival Margate, those plane have gradually grown into a resort with almost a 2 mile sea front and the characteristic bungalows(some the earliest surviving in England), villas, B & Bs and modern housing developments. Despite the proximity of the sea the economic focus of Birchington was towards agriculture, the coast is has chalk cliffs of barely 5 metres in height but extensive wave-cut platforms deterred the creation of a harbour. Inland the parish with early gazetteers estimating over 80% as set to arable with the balance pasture. Today Birchington is a rather genteel coastal resort in contrast to the brashness of Margate, a place for day trippers and weekend breaks. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line from London to Margaret passing through and granting Birchington a station. Birchington is drained to the west where marshes replace the low cliffs and small man-influenced drainage channels funnel water to the North Sea. Birchington is sited at between sea level and 25 metres above, land rises gently eastwards onto the former Isle of Thanet reaching just over 50 metres in a few spots. Birchington parish covered just under 1,600 acres making it typical in size doe a southern farming parish, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 850 parishioners. Birchington is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary's church stands at The Square, the notional centre of the settlement, to the north of the course of the A28 as it passes through and opposite the main shopping street. Whilst the church has its origins as early as the 12th century much of its external appearance is as a result of the strenuous restoration of 1864 which Pevsner describes as "neither pleasurable nor informative" and criticising the lack of quality of the tracery used. From the 12th century Norman Romanesque period the church retains the southern doorway, a Norman style window's head has also been reused in the southern aisle's wall. The eastern end of the church appears to have been a complete 13th century Early English Gothic build with arcades showing square piers. Also 13th century is the tower which sits in a highly unconventional location at the southeastern corner, its shingled spire sits on a 14th century frame, however and appears rather modern. The nave is documented as rebuilt in the 14th century adding 5-bay arcades, the Decorated style may be seen in this rebuild.  The Victorian restoration of 1864, however, overlays all of this medieval work , it was followed by still more work in 1911 when the southeastern vestries were added. The church stands at a very busy spot in the settlement with very little parking close by, it may be better to walk from a local car park. The lychgate stands behind the prominent war memorial and is shaded by trees, once within there are few obstacles except the placement of the church close to the southern edge of the churchyard which somewhat restricts views from that favoured aspect.