History
1,000 years of history
Standing in its remarkable position beside the Swale, St Thomas the Apostle has served the people of Harty for almost a thousand years. The church is believed to date from the late 11th or early 12th century, although there may have been an earlier place of worship on or close to the site.
Harty itself is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, though no church is specifically mentioned. Tradition has long associated the present church with a rebuilding around 1089, possibly following damage to an earlier building. Surviving early masonry, including tufa stonework in the north wall, confirms that parts of St Thomas belong to the Norman period.
As the community grew, the church was gradually enlarged. A north aisle was added around 1200 and the chancel was extended during the 13th century. Further additions followed in the 14th and early 15th centuries, including the north and south chapels. Much of the church’s most important medieval craftsmanship also survives from this period, including the rood screen, image niche and remarkable Flemish chest.
For centuries Harty occupied a much more important position than its peaceful surroundings might suggest. A ferry crossed the Swale between Harty and the mainland until 1946, making the area an important local crossing point. As transport patterns changed, the settlement became increasingly isolated, leaving St Thomas standing almost alone amongst farmland and marshes.
The church was restored during the 19th century and suffered damage to its western end during the Second World War, but it has retained an extraordinary sense of antiquity. With no mains electricity and lighting traditionally provided by paraffin lamps, entering St Thomas today can feel remarkably similar to entering a country church centuries ago.
Interactive History
Click on a year to find out about more what went on. Use the arrows to progress through time!
Plan of St Thomas’ Church
St Thomas’ has developed gradually over many centuries, resulting in a less formal but particularly characterful medieval plan. The Nave, Chancel, Aisle and Chapels reflect different phases of enlargement as the needs of the parish changed.
Much of the earliest Norman fabric remains within the church, while later medieval additions created the building seen today.
This gradual development gives St Thomas its distinctive and unusually historic character.
Plan of St Thomas’ Church
St Thomas’ has developed gradually over many centuries, resulting in a less formal but particularly characterful medieval plan. The Nave, Chancel, Aisle and Chapels reflect different phases of enlargement as the needs of the parish changed.
Much of the earliest Norman fabric remains within the church, while later medieval additions created the building seen today.
This gradual development gives St Thomas its distinctive and unusually historic character.
No Electricity!
Perhaps one of the most memorable things about visiting St Thomas is not something that has been added to the building, but something that has never arrived. The church remains without mains electricity, helping preserve an atmosphere rarely encountered in a modern parish church.
For generations the interior has been illuminated using hanging paraffin lamps and wall-mounted lamps with reflectors. Combined with its whitewashed walls, medieval timberwork and isolated position beside the Swale, the simplicity of the church gives visitors an unusually strong impression of how rural churches might have felt in centuries past.
This character is closely linked to Harty itself. Once an important crossing point of the Swale, the settlement became increasingly isolated after the ferry ceased operating in 1946. Today the church stands surrounded by farmland, marshes and open skies, its remote setting forming as important a part of its character as the historic building itself.
No Electricity!
The Flemish Chest
One of the greatest treasures of St Thomas is the remarkable medieval wooden chest kept within the south chapel. Dating from around 1375, the chest is richly carved and is one of the most unusual surviving features of the church.
Often known as the Flemish Kist, the front of the chest depicts two mounted knights confronting one another, accompanied by attendants and figures watching from above. The scene is usually interpreted as a joust or tournament and gives a fascinating glimpse into the imagery and craftsmanship of the medieval period. Historic England describes it as one of the particularly important medieval furnishings for which the church is listed.
The chest has had an eventful history of its own. In 1987 it was stolen from St Thomas but was subsequently traced to an auction house and successfully recovered. It is now protected behind a metal screen in the chapel, where visitors can still see its extraordinary medieval carving.
Rood Screen
The medieval rood screen at St Thomas dates from around 1350–1375 and is one of the most important surviving features of the church. For more than six centuries it has marked the division between the Nave and the Chancel.
Unlike many medieval churches, St Thomas has no conventional chancel arch. Instead, the timber screen forms the principal architectural division between the Nave and the eastern end of the building. Its delicate tracery and surviving medieval timberwork provide an important link with the appearance of the church before the Reformation.
Evidence of the original rood loft also survives. A small staircase once allowed access to the loft above the screen, where the great rood or crucifix would traditionally have stood. Although the loft itself has disappeared, the surviving staircase offers a rare reminder of how the church would have been used and experienced during the Middle Ages.