Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1899. Church, built circa 1120, probably as a chapel for the adjacent manor house (TR 35 SE 12). Traces of medieval wall paintings are visible on the chancel wall. The north aisle was demolished in 1898.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1110 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 35 SE 18:
[TR 36695033] Ch [NAT] (1) Walmer Old Church (St Mary's) of c 1120 was rebuilt in the C19. Norman and Early English remains. (2) In normal use. (3) Church Street, Walmer, Church of St Mary (formerly listed as Walmer Old Church (St Mary's). Grade B. Built c 1120 by one of the d'Auberville family probably as a chapel for the Castle, the ruins of which now stand in the grounds of Walmer Court, and restored in C19. The S doorway is Norman. The doorway is decorated with chevron billet and lozenge ornaments. Traces of medieval wall paintings over the Chancel wall which is Early English. There is a piscina in the S wall of the Nave and 2 niches in the Sanctuary, one an aumbry, the other a credence. C19 roof to nave. The Duke of Wellington, when Warden of the Cinque Ports, was a regular worshipper here. (4) Most of the details can be gained from (4). Additional information mentions that the church is small, consisting of a nave of flint and a lower roughcast chancel. The N aisle was demolished in 1898. There is a Norman N window in the chancel. Font dated 1664. (5) Pritchard's History of Deal (1864) states that 'round Walmer church...on a rise is a deep fosse' so far as can easily be seen now there is but a ditch, or fosse, on the S side of the churchyard, and this was made only some 60 years ago. Hasted found in his time 'a deep single fosse around' and various writers thought the spot a Roman camp. Enquiry of the 'oldest inhabitant' and careful examination of certain traces reveal the fact that there truly was a fosse, but instead of surrounding only the churchyard, part of its ramifications enclosed the castle or mansion, remains of which are in Walmer Court grounds. Thus we find this reputed 'camp' to be one of those enclosures, common in feudal days, which guarded the hall and the church of a Norman lord. (6) The C17 tower of brickwork has been carefully repaired. (7)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:

1. CHURCH STREET 1035 WALMER Church of St Mary [Formerly listed as Walmer Old Church (St Mary's)] TR 35 SE 5/165 1.6.49. B 2. Built circa 1120 by one of the d' Auberville family, probably as a chapel for tile Castle, the ruins of which now stand in the grounds of Walmer Court, and restored in the C19. The South doorway is Norman. The doorway is decorated with chevron billet and lozenge ornaments. Traces of Mediaeval wall paintings over the Chancel wall which is Early English. There is a piscina in the South wall of the Nave and 2 niches in the Santuary, one an aumbry, the other a credence. C19 roof to nave. The Duke of Wellington, when Warden of the Cinque Ports, was a regular worshipper here.

UPDATED 08/05/2007

WALMER

860/5/10027 CHURCH STREET
01-JUN-49 CHURCH OF ST MARY THE BLESSED VIRGIN

(Formerly listed as:
CHURCH STREET
CHURCH OF ST MARY)
(Formerly listed as:
CHURCH STREET
WALMER OLD CHURCH (ST MARY'S))

II*
Church. c1120, chancel Early English. Extended C17 and c1826 (these phases do not survive). Altered and partly rebuilt 1898.

MATERIALS: Flint with stone dressings, roughcast render to chancel, clay tile roof.

PLAN: Simple plan comprising nave, lower chancel and S porch

EXTERIOR: Bellcote to W end. Late C19 Norman style doorway to S porch. C12 S door has chevron, billet and nailhead moulded arch carried on heavy shafts with scallop capitals. Most windows altered or renewed. S side of nave has one small Norman window to W of porch, and a large, late-medieval three-light window to E with label mould and head-stop, tracery renewed. To N end of the nave wall is a C14 low side window, trefoil-headed with a label mould.

INTERIOR: C12 chancel arch, of considerable scale for a small church, has chevron and nailhead mouldings, with the abacus moulding continuing along the wall on each side. Traces of medieval wall painting above the arch on the nave side. C14 trefoil-headed piscina at N end of S wall of nave, below low side window with which it is possibly contemporary. Two niches in chancel wall, one an aumbry, the other a credence. King-post roof is late C19. Numerous monuments, principally early-mid C19 neo-Classical wall tablets, several to naval or military figures. Six hatchments include that of the Duke of Wellington, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1829-52, which was carried in front of his cortege to the station after his death at Walmer Castle, bearing the motto: 'Virtutis fortuna comes'. Cone font cover of 1664.

HISTORY: Built c1120 by the d'Auberville family, probably as the chapel to their manor house, Walmer Court, the ruins of which stand about 15m to the NE of the church and are a scheduled ancient monument. The southern wall of the manor house forms part of the churchyard wall. The church was enlarged, rather unconventionally, by the addition of a galleried nave on the N side of the existing nave, thus reorientating the church on a N-S axis and placing the altar at the S. This probably dated from the late C17, judging from a drawing of 1826 of the church as existing by George Ansell, who enlarged the extension at that time. The extension was demolished in 1898, the church conventionally reorientated, and the nave N wall reinstated. The Duke of Wellington was a regular worshipper at the church when in residence at Walmer Castle. St Mary's ceased to be the parish church when the new Church of St Mary was built in 1887-8.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Of more than special interest as a church with significant C12 and later medieval features. It has a strong visual and historical relationship with the ruins of the moated manor house of Walmer Court, a scheduled ancient monument, and historic interest for association with the Duke of Wellington in his role as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, whose hatchment hangs on the nave wall.

SOURCES: J Newman and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England, North East and East Kent, p 488

Listing NGR: TR3685450299 (9)

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

<2> MHLG (1035/11/A) June 1947 6 (OS Card Reference). SKE46905.

<3> F1 ASP 30-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42356.

<4> DOE(HHR) District of Dover 1974 34 (OS Card Reference). SKE41132.

<5> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 488 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50207.

<6> VCH Kent 1 1908 435 (J Chalkley Gould EA Downman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50910.

<7> Arch Cant 31 1915 298 (S Mouser) (OS Card Reference). SKE35009.

<8> Field report for monument TR 35 SE 18 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6085.

<9> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading