Two ancient churches in Kent, closed for over 650 years after the outbreak of the Black Death plague decimated their congregations, have finally re-opened to the general public in a celebratory event. The sister churches, Dode and St Benedict’s at Paddlesworth, situated just 1.5 miles apart, welcomed visitors on Sunday 18 August 2024, in a historic event marking their simultaneous re-opening.
Both churches, which date back to the early 1100s, were once thriving Christian community centres until the Black Death struck in 1349. The plague worn out the population of Dode entirely, leaving only the church standing. The parish priest was subsequently moved to Paddlesworth, and Dode remained unused for hundreds of years.
Douglas Chapman, the present keeper of Dode church, purchased the positioning around 35 years ago and has since spent a long time restoring it. The Norman stonework, foundations, and roof design are of particular interest to those studying sites of Christian worship within the United Kingdom.
Mr Chapman described the restoration as a “labour of affection” and recounted the extensive work required to bring the church back to its original condition. “It had been locked up for 600-odd years,” he explained, adding that, although the roof had been replaced within the early 1900s, the constructing had fallen into severe disrepair.
When Mr Chapman first acquired the church, it was in a dire state, having been partly desecrated and sometimes used as a rural “drugs den”. Over the next decade, he painstakingly cleared out the positioning, restored its original features, and installed basic utilities like electricity and water. “The place essentially hadn’t been touched, or a minimum of hadn’t been used, since 1367, when the priest was sent to Paddlesworth because everybody in Dode was either dead or had left,” he said, based on the Metro newspaper, reflecting on the long journey of restoration that finally culminated within the church”s reopening.
Visitors were invited to walk the scenic trail between the 2 churches, offering a glimpse into the wealthy history of the North Downs. Mr Chapman noted, “The churches were each all the time full but not overcrowded, and folks walked between the 2 within the North Downs. It’s the primary time the 2 churches have ever done anything like that.”
He also added, “The churches are very similar. They are very near and were in-built an almost an identical way around 1100, at the tip of William the Conqueror’s reign.”
Though there may be supposedly a mass grave underneath or near Dode church, Mr Chapman has refused to let archaeologists excavate.
Visitors can expect to see a photograph exhibition, old maps, and historic documents – including one dating back to 1367, when the parishes of Dode and Paddlesworth were combined.
Mr Chapman also shared the intriguing local belief that Gundulf – also often known as Gundulph – a Christian bishop serving in Rochester who built Dode church, inspired the character of Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’. He remarked, “Tolkien was a professor of Medieval history and would have known all about Gundulf. The theory is that Gundulf became Gandalf … It’s a shame Tolkien is not around to verify it.”
Dode Church might be available for wedding services and naming ceremonies and can proceed to open to the general public once every six weeks. Visitors also can request a visit to St Benedict’s Anglican Church at any time.
With justifiable pride within the restoration, Mr Chapman said, “People will get to go to two ancient churches, and hopefully, they’ll appreciate the history and the work that has gone into them.”
