Dymchurch Day of Syn

The Day of Syn celebrations go back more than 40 years. The first Day of Syn was held in 1964 as a way of raising funds for the renewal of the roof of St Peter & St Paul Parish Church. The then Rector of Dymchurch, Reverend Ronald Meredith, and the Parochial Church Council made the decision to hold a pageant based on the Dr Syn stories and the author, Russell Thorndike gave his permission for the title, Day of Syn, to be used.

     The novel “Doctor Syn” was published in 1915 and told the story of Dr Christopher Syn, the Vicar of Dymchurch.

A caring and respectable man of the cloth by day and the infamous “Scarecrow” by night, the leader of the Marsh Men.

     Thorndike had intended the novel to be a one-off, as the character of Syn had been killed off at the end of the book. Its popularity, however, was so great that Thorndike wrote six “prequel” novels that followed Syn’s earlier years, covering his creation as a Doctor of Divinity at Oxford and his career as Captain Clegg, pirate of the high seas.

     The Day of Syn has grown over the years from being a one day event to a weekend and is now held bi-annually, bringing in thousands of visitors from all over the UK and

as far afield as the US and Australia. It is the largest free event in Kent so it is perfect for a family day out.

These delightful pictures were taken during the August 2006 event by the following amateur photographers: Ron Strutt, Jean Holmes, Tom Elleman and Mike Worthington

 Scroll down the page to see all 19 pictures

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