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Image:  The old and new churches c.1894.
The old and new churches c.1894.

The earliest reference to a church at Charlton is in a fragment of manuscript, dating from between 1147 and 1182, refering to the dedication of a chapel to St Peter at Charlton. The nature and history of this early building are unclear until 1827 when the church was rebuilt as it was too small. How much of the building that was rebuilt in 1827 dated back to the 12th century is not known.

By the late 19th century even the enlarged church was found to be too small for the growing community of Charlton, by then incorporated into Dover, and the present church was built. The new church was consecrated in 1893 and the old church demolished in 1895. A stone in the churchyard marks the site of the old high altar.

The church was damaged during the Second World War. On 15th September 1944 a 15 inch shell exploded after burrowing under the foundations of the south west corner. The nave was severely damaged, the west wall was split and the blast lifted a pillar and its base moved one and a half inches, though the pillar itself settled absolutely upright. This displacement is still visible today. Two weeks later a second shell fell on the eastern wall of the churchyard blowing out the east windows and causing further extensive structural damage.

After the war extensive repairs were undertaken and the church was rehallowed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in September 1952.

 

 


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