Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

St Margaret's Church 13thc. Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1066 to 1870

Monument Types

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

Full description

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[TR 2273 5058] Ch. [NAT] (1) The Church of St Margaret, Womenswold, is 13th century. (2) In normal use. (3) Church of St Margaret, The Street, (NW side), Womenswold. Grade I. (For full description see list). (4) Additional bibliography. (5)(6)

The nave and chancel form one continuous long rectangle, with an added tower to the west. The coursed flintwork and western quoins of the nave suggest that this is a 12th century structure, which had an enlarged chancel added in the late 13th century. The tower is also probably late 13th century, while the small north transept (? a chapel) is a little later (? c. 1300) with its wider lancet. The chancel has eastern buttresses, and three lancets on each side as well as an eastern triplet. (There is a bishop's head sculpture - ? corbel - set in the east gable). There is a small 13th century doorway in the S. chancel wall with a hoodmould, and a restored buttress in the middle of the S. wall marks the nave/chancel boundary. A small brick porch was added on the S.W. (dated 1729 on keystone), in Flemish bond with some blue headers.

A sunken boiler house has been added on the northside of the tower (with steps down from the west), and surprisingly the N. wall of the nave has no windows in it. It seems to have been completely refaced (or totally rebuilt?) in c. 1300 when the north transept was built. The latter now contains the organ, so that the interior is obscured. It used to house the Old Nethersole pew.

Internally the chancel, of the late 13th century is the best surviving part of the medieval building. It has a continuous string course and tomb recesses on either side as well as a triple trefoil-headed sedilia, and a trefoil-headed piscina on the south-east. There are good mouldings to the rere-arches. Hasted (op cit., 265) mentions 'old French capitals, nearly obliterated' over one tomb-recess. The new chancel may have been built c. 1286 when, Wingham College was set up.

The south side of the nave has two two-light early 16th century windows with depressed heads. These windows perhaps replace early 14th century windows, as shown by the pointed knapped-flint relieving arches over them.

There is a 1749 Bell inscribed: THO I AM BUT SMALL I WILL BE HEARD AMONG YOU ALL.

Unfortunately the major restoration of 1869 was a heavy one with much new work, both masonry repairs and the new roofs, and the church was not visited by Sir Stephen Glynne, until the following year. (7-8)

Description from record TR 25 SW 208:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5273 WOMENSWOLD THE STREET (north-west side)
Church of St Margaret TR 25 SW 14/715 30.1.67
I GV
2. Built of flint with stone dressings. Tiled roof. Chancel, nave, west tower and south porch. This was originally a Chapel of Ease to Wingbam and later to Nonington Church are C13. Tower and chancel nave probably Norman restored in 1870, the red brick gabled south porch added in 1729. The interior contains a 3 bay nave with crown post roof. Chancel arch. Series of fine wall monuments to families owning Nethersole House or Denne Hill. Some by Sid Robert Taylor. Triple sedilia and trefoiled piscina on north wall of the chancel.
Listing NGR: TR2278650625 (8)

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

<2> MHLG (1953/11/A Dec 1960) 72 (OS Card Reference). SKE46961.

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

<4> DOE (HHR) Dist of City of Canterbury Kent 1980 250 (OS Card Reference). SKE40217.

<5> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 501-502 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50210.

<6> Field report for monument TR 25 SW 4 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5776.

<7> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1991, 1994, Church Survey - St Margaret's Church, Womenswold. (Unpublished document). SKE7591.

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

Sources and further reading