The Church of St. Marv the Virpin, RippleThe present church of St. Mary the Virgin, Ripple, one of the four churches of Beacon Ministries, occupies a site where a church building has stood since at least 13 14. There is known to have been a Rector of Rippill (Ripple) in 1294, although there is some doubt as to whether this referred to Ripple, Worcestershire or Ripple, Kent. Nonetheless, the list of Rectors here claims John de Staneyweye as being Rector of this Ripple in 1294.
The present church was designed by A. Astipitel, a moderately well known Victorian architect and was built on the site of the old Norman church in 1861. The design is a Victorian simplified copy of the classic Norman church at Barfreston, the influence of which can be seen particularly in the west doorway and the chancel arch. Unusually for a Victorian church, the tower is capped with a broach, now covered in tenured stainless steel, replacing the original zinc cladding, which was blown to the four winds in the hurricanes of the 1980s.
The church itself is small with seating, by today's standards, for a congregation of 80-90. A plaque on the wall however, commemorates the donation of £100 to the 1861 re-building by the Incorporated Society for Building of churches, which increased the 'sitting' (over the old church), by 74 to 150 (special provision having been made for the poorer parishioners).
The church contains some interesting memorials and tablets, some from the old church, including several to the French family, whose most famous son, Sir John (Lord) French, First Earl of Ypres is buried in the churchyard. The Sanctuary lamp, which at one time was kept permanently lit, is a memorial to Lord French. There are also memorials, and a funereal hatchment to members of the Sladen family, particularly John Baker Sladen, in whose memory the stained glass East Windows of the church were donated. One of his descendants, St. Barbe Sladen, gave the stained glass South Windows in 1868. The themes of the outer two windows in the south wall are taken from St. Mathew 25, verses 35 and 36. John Baker Sladen is also commemorated in the 'Sladen Bread', a benefaction of bread to be distributed to the poor of the parish during the winter months.
There are also a number of memorials which excite the interest of naval historians, particularly to Andrew Rand (which contains details of ships in relief on the base), and John Tracy William French.
On the south wall of the nave are two brasses, removed from their original matrices on the floor and now mounted on wood, commemorating members of the Warren filmily. On one is commemorated Thomas Warren, 'sonne of John Warren, who was sonne of William Warren sometymes chief customer of Sandwich, Dover and the members thereof, who died in 1591. The second brass commemorates John Warren 'sonne of Thomas Warren, who was sonne of William Warren, sometymes chief customer of Sandwich, Dover and the members thereof', who died in 1612.
There are several family vaults under the chancel (for, among others, 'the family at Ripple Court' and the Revd. Blain Mandale - after whom Mantle's Hill in Ripple is named). There is also a Sladen filmily vault under the nave. It appears that the rebuilding of the church, obviously not to the exact dimensions of the old Norman building, caused some problems in maintaining access to the vaults. The entrance to one vault which was originally described as being beneath the clerk9s seat by a flight of steps' was, at the re-building, replaced by 'an arch through the foundations of the South wall'. The Churchyard was extended in 1989 so that the church can continue ready to serve the parishioners of Ripple, in life and in death, as it has already done for so many years.