Volume 2

England's topographer, or a new and complete history of the county of Kent; from the earliest records to the present time, including every modern improvement. Embellished with a series of views from original drawings by Geo. Shepherd, H. Gastineau, &c. with historical, topographical, critical, & biographical delineations / By W. H. Ireland.

William Henry Ireland

Date:: 1828-1830

Credit: England's topographer, or a new and complete history of the county of Kent; from the earliest records to the present time, including every modern improvement. Embellished with a series of views from original drawings by Geo. Shepherd, H. Gastineau, &c. with historical, topographical, critical, & biographical delineations / By W. H. Ireland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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having returned him its member to sit in the House of Com- mons. Subsequent to the above period, the board of ordnance dis- posed of the lead which covered this ancient structure; thus leaving one of the first specimens of Roman architecture in this island, to moulder away, being exposed to the violence of every wintery tempest. The body and tower of the church now constitute the only remaining buildings within the area of the Roman fortification ; and, although of a more recent date than the pharos above described, they still retain decisive marks of their ancient work- manship. Some historical records attribute the origin of this church to Lucius, a British king by Roman courtesy, his dominions having extended over the eastern parts of Kent, and who was converted to Christianity a.p. 172. Whatsoever credibility we may attach to this legend, it may not be irrelevant to inquire whether the Britons were, at the period alluded to, sufficiently acquainted with architecture, to have designed a work of this description. Their intercourse with the Romans had then subsisted upwards of two centuries, and many of their chiefs had visited Rome and foreign countries, while numbers of their youth were incorporated in the Roman armies, and had served abroad. By those means they had un- questionably an opportunity of acquiring such a knowledge of the arts, as was requisite for the accomplishment of an underta- king of this description. Roman tiles appear in every part of this building, while a mere casual survey might lead an observer to conceive that no regularity had been pursued in the con- struction. The result, however, of an attentive observation will demonstrate that, in whatever age the masonry was raised, one uniform design was strictly adhered to, although there are certainly no means of positively deciding, whether the produc- tion was the labour of a British, Roman, or Saxon artificer.. This church is in the form of a cross; the tower being sup- ported by four lofty arches, the pilasters on the north and south sides consisting of squared stone, with a bead embracing the front of an elliptic arch. The work in question is modern com- pared with the other two arches, which, including their pilasters, are formed of tiles after the method of the Romans. The sides

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