History
Early History
In
common with most churches and other
old buildings, little is known with
any degree of certainty during the
dark ages between the departure of
the Romans in 4th Century and the
Norman conquest of the 11th Century.
However,
the Blean Historical and Archaeological
Group undertook some
very detailed research in the
period 1982 - 86 (on which much of
the information
here in is based), and established
beyond doubt that a substantial
Roman villa 
existed
to the south-west of the church from
1st to 3rd centuries.
(Indeed,
fragments of Roman brick, which would
logically have derived
from this site, have long been
known to be incorporated into the
west
exterior wall of the present
church).
It is also known that a fortified
manor was built on the same site
in the 13th century, so it is
fairly likely that there
were Jutish-Saxon
settlements or small estates
in this immediate area for
much, if not all,
of the intervening periods.
By
the time of the Domesday Book (1086),
there were twelve surrounding
farmsteads
or holdings within the bounds
of the manor, but clearly it had
been
well-established as a community
long before that date.
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The
First Church
A church
was noted on the present site in
1086 (not the present building),
with
a strong suggestion of an early pre-Conquest
church prior to that. There is an (unproven)
folklore suggestion that the site of
the present church actually dates from
598, when the early monks accompanying
Augustine from Rome set up a shrine to
the Saints Cosmus and 
Damian at this
point on the ancient Salt Road to the
north Kent coast at Seasalter (which
runs past the church).
Dedications
to these two saints are very unusual
in
Britain (there are, in fact, only four
in the whole country), but they were
at that time very well known in Rome,
where the church in their names had
been opened in the Forum as recently
as 530
(the Basilica of Saints Cosmus & Damian).
Whether
true or not, the whole site appears
to have been fortified at some point
during the dark ages, resulting in
the somewhat unusual relics of
a wall and
moat around what is now our graveyard
- it was most likely a fortified
manor within which a simple wooden
church
was included. The site became too
restricted
after the Conquest, resulting in
the manor itself being moved onto
what
had once been the Roman villa.
These
were
times of great unrest, and clearly
the presence of a fortified structure
belonging
to
Robert de Crevequer (regarded as
a "rebel" at
a time of virtual civil war) at such
a strategic location proved too much
for King Henry III, who in 1259 ordered
that the walls be razed to the ground
and the moat filled in- in fact,
only one wall alongside the road
was razed,
although that was sufficient for
military purposes.
To
no avail, since the manor was confiscated
anyway - such was the
political turbulence of the time!
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Origins of the Present Church
The
present flintstone church, roofed with
Kent peg tiles, was
rebuilt before
1233, by order of the Crown, and the "Calendar
of Liberate Rolls" for 1233 shows
Henry lll repaying the sum of £20.3s.8d
to Walter de Kirkeham for carrying out
this instruction.
From about 1200 onwards,
the Eastbridge Hospital had acquired
a growing interest in the area, the lordship
of the manor being formally confirmed
in 1359, and the Master of Eastbridge
still remains the Patron of the parish.
It would appear that the fortunes of
the manor itself declined after this,
and severe fire damage in the late 14th
or early 15th century
resulted in the
site being abandoned.
It
seems likely that the local population
was then in
decline in any case, possibly as a
result of the ravages of the Black
Death.
Depopulation
was a continuing problem right up until
the present time, since the local communities
polarised towards either Blean or Tyler
Hill, a process accelerated by the
opening of the present main roads
to Whitstable
and Herne Bay respectively.
The
rebuilt church of circa 1233 is characterised
by the lancet windows of Early English
Gothic style and has changed little,
apart from the closing of two lancets
in the west wall and their replacement
during the 14th century by a window
in the Perpendicular late Gothic style,
plus a similar new window in the south
wall of the nave.
This
latter alteration coincided with
the institution of the
post of Vicar in the Blean (c.1375),
and culminated in the building of the
church's finest possession, its timber
crown-post roof.
The church at this time was very colourful,
with many of the windows being in stained
glass 
(of
which only a few fragments remain in
one of the chancel lancet
windows), a painted rood screen (the
marks where
it was fitted are still visible in
the beams above the pulpit) and several
wall
paintings dedicated to St. Thomas,
the Virgin Mary, and of course our "own" Saints
Cosmus and Damian. With sets of candles
in front of each, the impression would
have been one of a highly coloured
interior, typical of the medieval fashions.
Naturally,
it all had to go in the religious upheavals
following the Reformation, and whitewash
became the order of the day - even
the stone altar had to be broken up, its
wooden replacement itself 
landing
the then Vicar in serious trouble in
1551
as it was judged by the Archdeaconry
Court as being "indistinguishable
from the stone altar it had replaced!"
Hard
times indeed - by the visitation
of Archbishop Parker in 1573, it
was reported that
the church was "devoid of all glazing" -
and we complain today of draughts!
Apart from the walls and roof, the
only major
fittings remaining are the 15th Century
stone font, the John Boys memorial
of 1612 and the Communion Rails of
1697.
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Extension
during 1860's
The Victorian rebuilding and extension
was certainly enthusiastic, although
unfortunately much of the original
appearance of the church appears to
have been obliterated
in the process. The whole north wall
disappeared to accommodate a sizeable
extension, whilst the present single
bell gable replaced the earlier wooden
turret above the old building (the
timbers from which are alleged to have
been used
in the stables of the then vicarage
at Mulberry Down).
The old windows
were
replaced by new stained glass ones
- including work by the well-known
Victorian
artist Henry Holiday. 
Some fragments
of the earlier glass were built into
one window however, and perhaps
more importantly, the quality of the
work
done has withstood the test of time,
and we are very fortunate today in
that we have inherited a basically
sound structure
in good repair.
The
plain open pews, choir and pulpit date
from 1866,
whilst the new organ (strangely sited
by today's
tastes) was installed in 1909.
We are told that the original seating
was
for 273 souls - perhaps they were
thinner
in those days! The present main
altar is comparatively modern, 
being
designed
in 1964 by Harold Anderson (architect
to Canterbury Cathedral and a Churchwarden
in Blean for 49 years!).
In 2000, after considerable consultation
within the parish, the opportunity was
taken to re-order the church with the
objective of making it more accessible
for worship and community use. The restrictive
pew layout and the poor acoustics were
tackled. In particular the organ was
moved to a more appropriate location
at the west end of the church.
The
pulpit was moved to the place where
the organ
had originally been sited and we believe
that the opening up of the sight lines
resulting from this show off the magnificent
timber crown-post roof in all its splendour.
In 2005, we succeeded in raising sufficient
money to bring water to the church
hall providing much needed lavatory
and kitchen
facilities. Further extensions to that
hall are planned to enable us to be
able to provide suitable accommodation
for
our growing Junior Church.
We
are determined that our church building
should provide
the flexibility and modern facilities
needed for the Christian message
to continue to be proclaimed for another
thousand
years in this ancient place.
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Fragments
of stained glass from the 1300's
in one of the chancel lancet
windows
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