Hope Church of All Saints
The Hope Church of All Saints is a ruined church building on Romney Marsh, about north-west of New Romney, in Kent, England, near the road from Ivychurch to New Romney. Since 2017 a sculpture park has been created on the site.
History
It is thought that the church, in the former parish of Hope, was founded in the 12th century. It was still in use in 1543, but had fallen into decay by 1573; the bells were removed to the Church of St Nicholas at New Romney. Hope Church was recorded as ruinous in 1663.There have been surface finds of medieval objects near the site, including coins from the 11th to the 13th century. These, and traces of a possible sunken road near the church, suggest that there was a deserted medieval village nearby.
Description
The site is a scheduled monument; the standing remains are Grade II listed.The church, rectangular in plan, is built of roughly coursed stone interspersed with flint. At the west end, walls survive as L-shaped blocks at the corners, to a height of about, with a gap between them. There is a similar block at the south-east corner of the chancel. The surviving walls are linked by foundations. A rectangular ditch, enclosing an area about, surrounds the church, with a break in the east and west sides.