History and Stories

Reculver as a religious site

By the 5th century the Romans had abandoned their defence of Britain and the fort at Reculver had fallen into disuse.

An Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded on the site in 669, reusing the existing defences, and the church of St Mary was built near the centre of the earlier fort.

Schematic plan of Reculver Roman Fort
Plan of Reculver Roman Fort and church

Documentary evidence suggests that the site had ceased to function as a monastic house by the 10th century, after which time the church became the parish church of Reculver.

Remodelling of the church in the 12th century included the addition of tall twin towers.

Reculver Abbey, in an 18th-century engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck
Reculver Abbey, in an 18th-century engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck

The medieval church was partly demolished in 1805, when much of the stone was reused to construct a new church on higher ground at Hillborough, but the twin towers were left. They were bought, repaired and underpinned by Trinity House in 1809, and have since served as a sea mark to aid the navigation of passing ships.