St. Peters church is a landmark church that still rings a curfew. It is a beautiful medieval church from a once prosperous trading and military port with beautiful stone tombs and monuments.

St Peter’s is the guardian of an ancient Sandwich tradition. Every day, at 8pm, the curfew bell rings out, signalling that the townspeople should cover their fires to make them safe for the night. This was once known as the ‘pigbell’, as it also informed people they could release their animals into the street.

This old Cinque Port church is a local landmark. Much of today’s building dates from 800 years ago, though it has been altered many times. The handsome tower with its distinctive onion dome top is a 17th-century addition – built by Flemish protestant refugees, in the style of their homeland churches.

Inside, the church is spacious and airy, with few furnishings. The atmospheric 13th-century crypt – open by arrangement – was once a charnel house where bones from the graveyard were stored to make room for new graves.

Open daily but may close at short notice, call 01304 614390 for information