Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1000 to 1869 The Church of St Mary, Minster, dates from the early 12th century. There is Roman brick in the building. It is supposed that the nunnery of St Mildred founded c. 670 AD by Domneva or Ermenburga stood on the site now occupied by the parish church. In the following century, a larger monastery was built on a site which tradition associates with that of Minster Court.

Monument Types

• MINSTER (NUNNERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 669 AD to 1065 AD)
• CHURCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Modern - 1000 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 36 SW 2:
[TR 31086425] Church [NAT] (1) The Church of St Mary, Minster, dates from the early C12th [see plan -AO/LP/62/122]. There is Roman brick in the building. (2,3) It is supposed that the nunnery of St Mildred founded c670 AD by Domneva or Ermenburga stood on the site now occupied by the parish church. In the following century, a larger monastery was built on a site which tradition associates with that of Minster Court [see TR 36 SW 3). (4,5) In normal use. (6) Church of St Mary, Church Street (S side), Minster. Grade I. Parish church. Tower and nave C11 and C12, chancel and transepts C13. Refenestration in part C15. Restored 1863 by Ewan Christian. Flint, rubble, some re-used Roman brick and Caen stone dressings. Plain tiled roofs. Chancel with C19 vestry, transepts, nave and aisles, western tower. Three stage tower with offset pilaster buttresses. String courses, battlements and shingled spire. Square south-eastern stair turret, truncated and capped with spirelet. C19 Romanesque style W doorway. Round headed tower and belfry lights. Aisles with 3 off set buttresses, plinth, string course and battlements. Renewed C15 and C19 Perpendicular style tracery. Moulded hoods to S and N doors. Chancel and transepts all of one design and build, with offset clasping buttresses, moulded string course (raised around transepts), and lancet windows, a group of 3 in chancel E wall, with round headed gable light over. Flying buttresses to chancel and single storey vestry (to S of chancel) added by Ewan Christian 1860's. Exterior walls with several monumental plaques, most late C18, attached. (7) St Mary. A church on a monumental scale, fitting for the site of an abbey. Domneva was consecrated first Abbess of Minster in Thanet in 669. Her daughter, Mildred, became the most famous local saint after St Augustine, but when, early in the C11, the abbey had been deserted, her body and the abbey lands were both handed over to St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury (1027-30). Why the church was rebuilt so mightily is not adequately explained. Flint, rubble stone and Caen stone ashlar are the materials. The work of enlargement began at the E end of the S arcade 1150, continued steadily westwards, and then began again with the east parts, so that all was completed by c1230. [Full architectural description follows]. (8) Minster Church and St Mildred. (9,10) Short account of St Mary's Church, Thanet. (11) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (12,13) TR 311643 The mother church of Thanet. Part of the present building dates back to pre-Norman times. (14)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
MINSTER CHURCH STREET TR 3064-3164 (South Side) 5/17 Church of St. Mary 11-10-63 GV I Parish church. Tower and nave C11 and C12, chancel and transepts C13. Refenestration in partC15. Restored 1863 by Ewan Christian. Flint, rubble, some re-used Roman brick and Caen stone dressings. Plain tiled roofs. Chancel with C19 vestry, transepts, nave and aisles, western tower. Three stage tower with offset pilaster buttresses, string courses, battlements and shingled spire. Square south-eastern stair turret, truncated and capped with spirelet. C19 Romanesque style west doorway. Round headed tower and belfry lights. Aisles with 3 offset buttresses, plinth, string course and battlements. Renewed C15 and C19 Perpendicular style tracery. Moulded hoods to south and north doors. Chancel and transepts all of one design and build, with offset clasping buttresses, moulded string course (raised around transepts), and lancet windows, a group of 3 in chancel east wall, with round headed gable light over. Flying buttresses to chancel and single storey vestry (to south of chancel) added by Ewan Christian 1860's. Exterior walls with several monumental plaques, most late C18,attached. (1 on south side, 4 on south transept, 3 to north transept, and on tower). Interior: tower with Romanesque window reveals on ground floor. Tower arch semi-circular on large half-round responds with scalloped capitals, that to south with double thickness masonry. Also double thickness with blocked Norman windows are the westermost bays of the nave arcades-signs of late C12 rebuilding of the original church. Arcades of 5 bays. Three easternmost of south arcade c1190 with round piers, abaci, scalloped capitals with zig-zag and billet moulding to arches. Two eastern bays and north arcade C 1180. Round capitals and bases to south, square abaci and waterholding bases with spurs to north and some crocketting and dogtooth. Nave roof of 6 crown posts, with round-headed lights to tower and 2 in nave east gable.Crossing arches to nave and aisles, all of same pattern, with double chamfered arch on round attached columns with moulded capitals. Transepts, crossing and chancel all of 1 build. Two bay transepts, with roll moulded stringcourse, attached shafts based on stringcourse supporting vault, added in 1863though on original springing. Original vaulting in crossing, springing from below arch capitals,quadripartite rib-vaults without ridge rib. Chancel arch chamfered with hollow chamfered surround and attached and keeled columns and mouldings. Four bay chancel, each bay narrower to east, with string course and attached wallshafts, the abaci extended to form a continuous frieze with circles and quatrefoil and trefoil enrichment. Quadripartite rib vault springs from those attached shafts, with keeled ribs. Triple lancet east window with deeply moulded and beaded surrounds and paired attached shafts. Fittings: chamfered arched aumbry with linenfold pattern door in north chancel wall. Choir stalls, dateable 1401-19 (the name of John Curteys, rector at those dates appears on one stall). Carved misericords and arm rests, 2 rows of 4 to the south, 10 to the north. Font and cover: C15, octagonal on moulded base. Cover, restored, with open work panels, pinnacled,displaying shields, with scrolled iron pulley bracket, one chain attached to the cover by a gadrooned globe finial. Glass: East window by Willement, 1861, good quality work. Monuments: C13 tomb chest in north transept with trelobed arcading and incised cross, set in wall recess with roll and beaded hood mould. Thomas Paramour d.1621. Hanging wall monument in north aisle of alabaster with black marble plaque and figures. Thomas and his wife Mary kneeling opposite each other with arcaded background. Frieze cornice and pediment on Corinthian columns on strapwork brackets. The Mother Church of Thanet and an Anglo-Saxon Minster Church. (See B.O.E. Kent II, 1983, 393-5).
Listing NGR: TR3109164255 (15)

Additional reference (16-18)

<1> OS 6" 1960 (OS Card Reference). SKE48367.

<2> Arch J 86 1929 268-270 Plan (A W Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE36705.

<3> MHLG (2067/11/A Sept 1960) 22 (OS Card Reference). SKE46993.

<4> Arch Cant 42 1930 225-226 (Canon G M Livett) (OS Card Reference). SKE35109.

<5> Arch Cant 12 1878 167-168 (OS Card Reference). SKE34656.

<6> F1 ASP 02-DEC-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41892.

<7> DOE (HHR) Dist of Thanet Kent 1986 8-9 (OS Card Reference). SKE40365.

<8> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 393-395 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50195.

<9> Arch Cant 12 1878 167-176 (OS Card Reference). SKE34657.

<10> Arch Cant 12 1878 177-196 (Canon R C Jenkins) (OS Card Reference). SKE34659.

<11> Arch Cant 43 1931 325 (OS Card Reference). SKE35130.

<12> Trans RHS 13 1899 177-178 (OS Card Reference). SKE50660.

<13> Monasticum Anglicanum 1 1846 447-50 (Dugdale) (OS Card Reference). SKE47328.

<14> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988 Record No 302 (OS Card Reference). SKE44715.

<15> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<16> DOWKER MSS (Collection). SKE6555.

<17> Field report for monument TR 36 SW 2 - December, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6269.

<17> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1996, Minster in Thanet, St Mary: Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29442.

<18> D R J Perkins, Archaeological evaluation, Conyngham Rd, Minster (Unpublished document). SKE6632.

Sources and further reading

Related thematic articles

• Anglo-Saxon Kent (Period Overview)
• Medieval Kent (Thematic Essay)