Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1066 to 1899 Church Of The Holy Innocents;Late 12th century cruciform church with a central tower which is thought to be on Norman foundations. The south transept is a 13th century addition. Refenestration took place in the 14th century. The north porch is 19th century in date. The church was restored in 1869-70 by William White. It is constructed of flint and stone with a tile roof. There is strong evidence that Adisham was a minster, created in a second wave of minster formation in Kent which took place from the 8th to mid-10th century.

Monument Types

• MINSTER (CHURCH, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 700 AD? to 966 AD?)
• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 25 SW 13 :
[TR 2276 5426] Ch. [NAT] (1) The Church of the Holy Innocents, Adisham, is largely late C12th, withlater work but with some earlier Norman work in the base of the tower.(2) In normal use. (3) Church of the Holy Innocents, Church Lane, Adisham. Grade I. (For full description see list). (4) Additional bibliography. (5) (6)

The earliest visible part of the fabric is the early to mid 12th century first stage of the tower. There are four round-headed windows here; the north and south ones blocked up completely.
All the external faces of the windows were covered by the later, higher roofs. There are visible remains, however, on all four faces of the original lower gables, showing that from the mid 12th century the church was already cruciform. Of this earliest visible phase is the Purbeck Marble font with a square arcaded bowl on a cluster of 5 shafts (now in the middle of the nave).

In the second phase, probably of the late 12th century, the four crossing piers were cut back and enlarged to allow four slightly pointed arches with square soffits (slightly recessed) to be
created. They sit on new square scalloped capitals. The outer arch order is carried on plain shafts in the corners. At probably the same time the nave was rebuilt (and possibly
enlarged). A lancet on the north side of the nave dates from this period (It was probably reopened in 1869 when wall-paintings were found on either side of the internal diagonal face. This window was probably blocked in the 4th phase when the enlarged N transept was built). The late 12th century nave almost certainly had 3 lancets on either side. 3 of these (2 on the
south one on the north) were replaced in the 14th century by larger windows, but two more (in the centre on the N and at the west end on the S.) were just blocked up and their positions can just be made out in the knapped flint infill on the external walls.

A new enlarged chancel was built in the third phase (c. mid 13th century). This has five large lancets on either side and three in the east wall. All have internal rere-arches (unlike the smaller late 12th century lancet), and there is an internal string course all the way round. On the south side of the chancel is a fine contemporary double piscina with a richly moulded trefoil head and detached Purbeck Marble shafts (with caps and bases). There is another piscina (perhaps contemporaneously built) in the N. wall just E. of the later doorway. At this time the central crossing tower was heightened with four new lancets to project above the nave and chancel (and subsequently above the later transept) roofs.

In the 4th phase, which was probably only a very short time after the 3rd phase, a new enlarged N. transept (with W. 'aisle') was built. It also has large lancets with rere-arches and an internal string course (on the E. and N.). The central of the 3 lancets on the E. wall is slightly taller and inside this window (below it) is a centrally placed piscina. The easternmost lancet (of 3) in the N. wall was later replaced (see below).

An even wider high lancet was built (? a little later) in the west wall of this transept.

The N. door to the nave, with its hood-mould on tufts of trefoil leaves, is also perhaps mid 13th century, as is the arch cut through into the nave from the W end of the N transept. This has simple stopped chamfers on all four arises.

In the next (5th) phase of c. 1300, the enlarged south transept was built. This has angle buttresses to the S.E. and S.W. and a gabled shallow E. chapel extension (cf Wingham and Ickham churches). To the east and west are similar trefoil-headed 3-light windows with hood-moulds. In the south wall there is a 4- light window with a diagonally placed quatrefoil just above two trefoils, which in turn are above the two pairs of trefoil headed lights. There is no hood mould. This chapel like the N. transept breaks across the horizontal string course in the tower, showing it is later than the nave and chancel. When the S. transept was built a new N. window of 3 lights was inserted into the N transept which appears to have acquired its gable end at this time. This window does have a hood mould.

The 6th and final main phase was the insertion of new 2-light windows in the nave with ogee hood-moulds and finials. The ends of the hood-moulds have carved heads on them, while the top lights in the windows are hexafoils. The new west doorway and the 5 light window above it with 3 octafoils in its head, though heavily restored must be of the same date (Glynne called it 'a very bad modern one'). This final phase is early 14th century, and all the six main phases of the building were probably erected within two centuries. There can be no doubt that this church is in this form because of the Archbishop (the patron) and the Monks of Christ Church Priory, Canterbury who owned the manor and were directly farming it. Documentary evidence (B.L. Cotton Galba E IV f 102N) shows that they were also building a large neighbouring stone courtlodge in the later 13th/early 14th century. The north doorway to the chancel perhaps also dated from this final period as do the many now worn and relaid floor tiles in the chancel and S. transept of the church. The higher crenellated top to the central tower was probably also put in at this period (though cut down and replaced with a pyramid roof in 1869 - see pre-869 photo on wall in vestry). 4 bells (not in a frame) are in the upper stage of the tower.

After this only the rebuilding with massive ragstone blocks, of 3 of the crossing piers (N.W., N.E. and S.E.) was undertaking. The timber-framed N porch (restored) and nave crown-post roof is also later (perhaps 15th century). The heavily restored 'poppy hood' stalls at the W. end of the chancel and the neighbouring screen to the W. (only part of the base is original) probably date from the early 16th century. This was the rood screen and has linenfold panelling. (The making of the new rood loft is documented in 1528 - Test.-Cant. (EK 1907), 2. The two roofs in the north transept appear to be a 17th century reconstruction of late medieval ones, while the chancel roof is 1869 replacing a low pitched (early 19th century) slate roof. There was a major restoration by William White in 1869-70. (7)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5273 ADISHAM CHURCH LANE
Church of the Holy Innocents TR 25 SW 14/3 30.1.67
I GV
2. Built of flint with stone dressings and tiled roof. Cruciform building with a central tower, a north porch and a chapel to the west of the north transept and to the north of the nave. The building is largely late C12 except for the south transept which is Cl3 and has an east gabled projection as at Ickham and the north porch which is C19, but the base of the tower possibly contains some earlier Norman work and later C14 windows have been inserted in the nave and the chapel to the north of it. The whole building was restored in 1869-70 by William White. The nave retains its original stone wall benches. The church also contains a piece of C15 painted woodwork which once formed part of the reredos of Canterbury Cathedral and was rescued from destruction in the C17. Two piscinas and aumbry. Norman font. Early C16 base of rood screen. The churchyard contains a chest tomb, some oval bodystones, and C18 skull and cherub motif headstones.
Listing NGR: TR2279454202 (8)

Historic England archive material: BF529962 CHURCH OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS, ADISHAM File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

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

<2> MHLG (1953/11/A Dec 1960) 1 (OS Card Reference). SKE46944.

<3> F1 FGA 25-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42977.

<4> DOE (HHR) Dist of City of Canterbury Kent March 1980 2 (OS Card Reference). SKE40224.

<5> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 126-127 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50181.

<6> Field report for monument TR 25 SW 13 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5785.

<7> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1990, 1991, Church Survey - Church of the Holy Innocents, Addisham (Unpublished document). SKE7605.

<8> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading