Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1935. 19/20th century incl rems of 14th century church.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1200 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 86 SE 22 :
[TQ 89586190] St John the Baptist's Church [NAT] (1) The church of Tunstall, dedicated to St John the Baptist, has a 14th century nave and aisles, and the lower part of the tower is also of this period - the suggested date being 1350. The tower and porch doorways are 14th c, but the porch itself, together with the upper part of the tower, has been rebuilt. The south aisle windows have been renewed. The church was rather heavily restored in 1850. The early 16th c east window replaces 13th c lancet windows, traces of which were found when plaster was removed in 1907 for repairs. [Full architectural description]. (2) Tunstall. From a string course in the interior, the north wall of the church appears to be E English, to which style belongs the chancelalso, the remainder of the building being Decorated with Perpendicular additions and insertions. Church mentioned in the taxation of Pope Nicholas IV in AD 1291. (3) [Architechural description]. (4) In normal use. (5) Parish Church of St John The Baptist. Grade I. 13th c chancel, 14th c nave, chapel 15th c, extended 1655, restored 1848-56 by RC Hussey. (6) Church of St John the Baptist. Heavily handled by Hussey in 1848-56. The saddlebacked top to the west tower is by him, although the west doorway is a genuine 14th c piece. The earliest evidence is in the three north lancets of the chancel. There is an early 14th c doorway going with the four-bay arcades of of the nave. The south chapel is dated 1655. (7)
This church was thoroughly restored by R.C. Hussey 1848-56, and
externally there is much evidence of this restoration with renewed flint facing and Bathstone
dressings covering most of the nave aisles and tower. The top of the tower has been
completely rebuilt, with east and west gables, in a `saddleback' form that was apparently
suggested to Hussey by churches in Normandy. Petrice's 1807 view of the church from the
south-west also tells us that the south nave aisle had a crenallated parapet and that the porch
originally had a parapet and flat roof. Glynne (in 1850) describes a `low west tower' with a
`moulded parapet' and the belfry-window single and trefoil-headed?

Despite this the church still has a fine later 13th century chancel, and an early 14th century nave,
aisles and west tower, and a south-east chapel that was built in two stages in the 15th and
probably 16th centuries. The architectural history has been well-described by Grayling and
Greensted (1908 op. cit. below), and only needs a few minor points to be corrected.

The earliest visible part of the church is the 13th century chancel, but this must have been built
onto an earlier nave underlying the present nave. It is noticeable that the chancel and nave are
continuous. The chancel has three late lancets on the north side, and one of the original three
survives on the south side (east end) with its iron glazing bars (It was presumably reopened in
the early 1850s). These lancets have rere-arches springing from small carved corbels at the
top of the internal side-jambs. The east window is now a late 15th century one with hollowed
out side jambs, but in 1907 part of the north side of an original 13th century lancet was
uncovered. This was presumably one of a triplet. Externally a roll-moulding ran around the
chancel, and it appears that all the original dressings were of Caen stone. On the north side of
the chancel, at the east end, is am aumbry, and opposite it is a double piscina within a double
trefoil-headed niche, though only one basin is now visible.


The whole of the nave, two side aisles, west tower and south porch were all rebuilt in the early
14th century at about the same time, and no main building breaks can be seen. However, the
engaged piers at either end of the south arcade have smaller blocks of Caen stone for the
lower part of the main shafts, and more elaborate moulded bases, also Caen stone. This
suggests that work started here. The other octagon piers and all the capitals, including those
in the tower arch, are all of well-cut Kentish Ragstone, and the capitals have the same
moulded form. The arches above are mainly of double hollow chamfers, though this is not
uniform, and the tower arch has two flat chamfers. The contemporary chancel arch has double
hollow chamfers and springs from shallow corbels. The octagonal piers appeal to have
different mason marks on each one (particularly noticeable are small squares and `alphas').

The tower has a circular stair-turret on the north east, and a fine ogeed and crocketed west
doorway (but with the top finial gone). This has recently been restored, though the Victorians
left it alone! A continuous plinth runs all the way round the outside of the tower and aisles
and much of the knapped flintwork above it was restored in the 1850s. The original aisle
windows also have ogeed tops and finials, though all the masonry was restored in 1854.
Before this, Glynne (visiting in 1850) tells us that the ogee heads were mutilated and had
mullions mostly wood, `but the finials remain'. The south doorway inside the south porch is a
particularly fine deep moulded doorway, and it still contains its original door. This door has
later had a pair of openings (with grates) made in it, with a shutter behind. The north doorway
opposite is much simpler and was reopened in 1987 to give access to the new hall. The tower
is unbuttressed, but the aisles have diagonal buttresses at the corners (that on the south-east
was probably replaced by a straight buttress in the 15th century, when the chapel was built).
Another usual feature of the aisles is the use of a continuous roll moulding (now much
restored) below the windows. Internally this runs up and over the top of the north and south
doorways.

In the later 15th century three new 3-light windows were put in at the east end of the north
aisle, and a large new 5-light east window was made (restored and regaled in 1850). Also the
south-east chapel (probably dedicated to St. Margaret) was created as a manorial chapel for
the Crummier family. It has two 3-light windows on the south and two (unequal in height)
arches into the chancel, as well as an arch into the south aisle. This chapel was extended
eastwards, in brick, probably just before the Reformation, as it contains a piscine in the
extension. When the fine Hales tomb was put in, in 1655, the chapel was apparently
refurbished (some black and white marble paving survives at the wasted), and a new brick
parapet was put on, with a plague inscribed E.H.1655 on its east side.

The nave and chancel were probably given new 4-centred arched ceilings in the later 15th
century. The nave timbered and paralleled ceiling on carved corbels in a fine example. Part of
a Rood Screen, a corbel for the north side of the Rood beam survey, and the medieval font
(mentioned by Glynne) were unfortunately removed in the 1850s when whole interior was
given expensive new pews, pulpit, font etc. R.C. Hussey's restoration started in the chancel in
1848-50, and then moved on to the nave, as we have seen in the early 1850s. The ring of six
1843 bells were increased to light, and rehung and tuned in 1975. They were recast in 1995. (9)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 86 SE TUNSTALL TUNSTALL ROAD (west side)
5/58 Church of St. John The Baptist 24.1.67
GV I
Parish Church. C13 chancel, C14 nave, chapel C15, extended 1655, restored 1848-56 by R.C. Hussey. Knapped and coursed flint some brick and plain tiled roofs. Chancel, south-east chapel, nave and aisles, west tower, south porch. Exterior: C14 west doorway, with roll- mould and double hollow chamfer, and crocketed ogee hood. South aisle with diagonal buttresses, cornice and parapet and C19 decorated-style windows. C14 door with strap hinges and 2 grilles; doorway with roll and billet moulding and attached shafts in south porch. South east chapel of flint and rubble, extended 1 bay east in brick, with brick parapet and repairs to buttresses. Two 3-light C15 windows, 1 C17 4 light Perpendicular survival window (i.e. uncusped). Restored 5-light east window, originally of c. 1510 Chancel north wall with 3 lancet windows. North aisle with plinth string course blocked chamfered doorway, and 3 C-19 windows. Interior: tower arch and 4 bay nave arcade with double hollow chamfer and octagonal piers, wooden tunnel roofs, plastered in aisles. Wide channel arch on corbels. Double chamfered arches without responds from chancel and south aisle to south chapel and roll and hollow- chamfered four-centred arch from chancel to chapel and remains of one lancet in chancel wouth wall. Panelled and bossed chancel roof. Fittings: C13 double piscina in chancel with solid cusped heads and chamfered pier, and C15 piscina with fernleaf spandrels in south chapel. Monuments: in the south east (or Hales') chapel. Sir James Crowmer d. 1613, fragments re-erected 1935, an armoured knight and his lady kneeling with 3 daughters, obelisks left and right, deaths heads and achievement over. Late medieval alabaster tomb chest, with 5 panels with shields. Sir Edward Hales, d. 1654, signed W. Sweet and M. Miles 1655. Recumbent knight in white marble resting on his arm, on black and white marble sarcophagus with achievements and inscription on parchment rolls, with cornice, and helm and gaunt- lets over. Chancel south wall, monument to Robert Cheke d. 1647, black and white marble. Doric columns on plinth support frieze and broken segmental pediments and frame semi-circular niche with half-bust of man holding book with hand on heart. To east of it white marble monument to Rev. Edward Mores, d. 1740, a bewigged divine in keyed niche with open pediment over. Wall plaque in south aisle to John and Catherine Grove, d. 1755 and 1758, a white plaque on scrolled base with medallion and frieze and floral cornice over with draped urn on plinth. Brasses: Ralph Wulf d. 1525 (17 in), a priest; a lady, probably Dame-Francis Crowmer, d. 1597 (18 in). Hanging rood: in chancel given by artist Martin Travers 1968. Glass: mid C19, the east window by Ward and Nixon 1850. Victorian Royal Arms over north door, 4 lozenge achievements in south chapel. (See B.O.E. Kent II 1983, 480-481, and also church guide).
Listing NGR: TQ8946161825 (10)

<1> OS 6" 1938-47 (OS Card Reference). SKE48354.

<2> Church and Village of Tunstall 1937 13 33-4 Illust 712 p 32 (AA Midwinter Rector) (OS Card Reference). SKE38960.

<3> Churches of Kent Sussex and Surrey 1852 18 163 (A Hussey) (OS Card Reference). SKE38993.

<4> Notes on Churches of Kent 1877 165-6 (SR Glynne) (OS Card Reference). SKE47691.

<5> F1 CFW 04.07.63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42414.

<6> DOE(HHR)Swale Boro Kent 27.11.84 66 (OS Card Reference). SKE41402.

<7> Bldgs of Eng NE and E Kent 1983 480-81 (J Newman Ed N Pevsner) (OS Card Reference). SKE37826.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 86 SE 22 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4605.

<9> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1996, Tunstall, St John the Baptist:Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29527.

<10> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading