St Augustine's Church, Brookland

St Augustine's Church is a Grade I listed Anglican church in the village of Brookland, Kent, in Walland Marsh, about 5mi north-east of Rye, East Sussex. It was originally built about 1250. It has the unusual feature that the bell tower is separate from the rest of the church.ExteriorBecause of the marshy ground, a bell tower was not incorporated in the church building. The separate structure, which houses six bells, is near the north porch of the church. The structure has been shingled since 1936. Originally there was a single bell, in an open framework; in the 15th century the church bells were put in the framework, and a weatherboard roof was added.The north porch, built in the 14th century, is of wood, and adjacent is a small tower with a clock.InteriorInside, the nave and chancel are continuous, with no chancel arch, and there is a south aisle running the length of the church. The arcades have seven arches on the south side and six on the north side; the windows do not have stained glass. There are box pews, built around 1738.On the east end of the south wall of the south chapel is the surviving part of a painting depicting the martyrdom of Thomas Becket in 1170; this was discovered in 1964, and is thought to have been painted in the second half of the 13th century.The font, made around 1200, is circular and made of lead. There are two courses of decoration: the upper course shows the signs of the zodiac, and on the lower course are depicted the agricultural labours appropriate to each month of the year. On an arch above each labour, the month, in early French, is shown.