St Peter's Church Sandwich

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 (Cinque Ports were the five harbour towns on the south coast which in medieval times provided the king with ships and men in exchange for trading and other privileges) 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 seventeenth-century addition - built by Flemish protestant refugees, in the style of their homeland churches.