| Native name | Cathedral of the Weald |
|---|---|
| Location | Stone Street Cranbrook, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51.0972°N 0.5362°E |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Completed | late 13th century |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
| Diocese | Diocese of Canterbury |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Maidstone |
| Deanery | Weald Deanery |
| Benefice | Cranbrook Benefice |
| Website | Official website |
St Dunstan's Church, also known as the Cathedral of the Weald, in Cranbrook, Kent, England, dates to the late 13th century. It is now Grade I listed.[1]
Its 74 feet-high tower, completed in 1425, has a wooden figure of Father Time and his scythe on the south face. It also contains the prototype for the Big Ben clock[clarification needed] in London.[2] Work started in the late 13th century, the chancel arch and porch are a century later, the nave and tower were added after 1500, and William Slater and Ewan Christian restored the building in 1863. It is administered by the Weald Deanery, part of the Archdeaconry of Maidstone, which is in turn one of three archdeaconries in the Diocese of Canterbury.
Cranbrook native Comfort Starr, one of the founding members of Harvard College, was baptised at the church on 6 July 1589. A memorial plaque to Starr was installed in the church after his death in 1659.[3]
See also
References
- ^
- ^ Cranbrook A Wealden Town, C.C.R. Pile (1955)
- ^ Ancestry of Lawrence Williams, Cornelia Bartow Williams (1915), p. 275