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.
