St Cosmus & St Damian Church, Blean

Beautiful church and a lovely place for quiet reflection.

Went here for a christening, nice small church tucked out of the way. Simple service very friendly.

Beautiful but not open

A beautiful little church in 'the middle of no ware'. A few benches just outside the Church gate, perfect for a picknick. Also, a small wooden building in the Church yard with public toilets; men, women, disabled.

St Cosmos and Damian at Blean lies on the Crab and Winkle way, a foot and cycle path from Canterbury to Whitstable which you can access from the back of the churchyard. This part of the way was originally part of the Salt Way by which salt from the salt pans at Seasalter was transported through Whitstable and on to Canterbury from the 8th Century onwards. You can still see the mounds of 13th Century salt pans at Seasalter.

There was a Roman villa to the South West of the Church. If you look carefully at the attached close up photo of the West wall of the church, you can see bits of thin, bright orange-red Roman bricks which probably came from the villa. Around 598, monks who accompanied St. Augustine from Rome may have dedicated the villa's chapel to St. Cosmos and St. Damian. The chapel is mentioned in the Domesday book but was rebuilt in 1233. At one time the church had a moat, the remains of which can still be seen over the fence on the South and West sides of the graveyard.

Great little church in the countryside (nice benches with good views). Favourite point for refreshments on the Crab&Winkle cycle route to Whitstable. Easy access carpark behind the churchyard

Very welcoming Christian community
Delightful small church with an historical sense of the local community
An atmosphere of peace and reflection

Amazing old and still locally used church. Well worth the walk from Canterbury city.