Much restoration work was carried out in the seventeen hundreds with the re-roofing of the south aisle (1703), the re-roofing of the north aisle (1728) and the fitting of box pews. The framed reredo panels (either side of the altar) and the coat of arms of King George III (1775) are also from this period as are the pulpit and oval text boards on the arcade spandrels. Another Georgian curiosity known as a ‘hudd’ or ‘hood’ dates from the same period. During funeral services in inclement weather, this early umbrella was carried out into the churchyard to prevent the Parson’s wig and prayer book from being drenched.
Thereafter there seems to have been a long period of neglect during which time St. George’s was frequently used for storing smuggled contraband. The north aisle appears to have been a favourite hiding place and the disturbed floor could also be attributed to the smugglers who it is believed hid their illicit cargoes in a large vault below. On the occasions that the church was being used for hiding these illegal imports for which the marsh became so famous, services were cancelled and the doors firmly locked until such times as they had been removed.
The large scale modifications. and restorations which many Victorian church architects zealously , carried-out thankfully by-passed Ivychurch but between 1888-1890, the services were engaged of the noted Arts and Crafts designer and architect Reginald Blomfield (1856-1942) who “restored the church with kindness” (Pevsner). Blomfield, who was the son of the Bishop of London, claimed that St. George’s was one of the finest complete examples of fourteenth century craftsmanship and the best example of church architecture in the whole district. The architect later gained fame for designing the Menin Gate War Memorial, Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, the Carlton Club and Tunbridge Wells Central railway station. He was also responsible for remodelling London’s Regent Street and designing the garden at Godinton Park in Ashford.
By the beginning of the twentieth century the church was again vermin-infested with twenty large holes in the roof, broken windows, rotten box pews and with a rectory which was uninhabitable. The church presented the very picture of decay and dereliction and its future had never looked quite so bleak. However, in 1903, the induction of the new Rector (the Rev’d John Miller) was to change all this. Repairs were to cost £800 and took seven years to complete. During these years of renovation, the crumbling box pews were removed and the remains f the best of them were used to partition the north aisle, by then long disused for liturgical purposes.
Without its pews, the nave was opened up once more and today the huge space can be fully appreciated. Chairs are used when the size of the congregation demands their placement and the nave is also used for concerts in addition to September’s annual harvest supper.
