The construction of a new church from around 1290 on a different site, with the previous one demolished, suggests either a practical need for a larger or more centrally located building or a symbolic decision reflecting the town’s growing importance. If the church was partially funded by visitors to the well, this would further reinforce the notion that Wye had a thriving religious community requiring provision of wine.
The 1290s saw extensive church construction, and Wye’s new church was extraordinarily large for a village of its size, measuring 55 metres in length. The abbots of Battle had recently established a market square, ‘The Forum,’ in Wye, and the new church was built to face it. In front of the church, a two-storey market hall stood, with an open lower level for market stalls and an upper assembly room known as the ‘speche house.’ This strategic positioning suggests a deliberate integration of religious and economic functions. The Undercroft (also likely dating to the 13th century), was built at the other end of Church Street directly facing the market square and the church.