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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 65 NE 8
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:Church of St Mary, West Malling

Summary

Early Norman Church,partly rebuilt 18th century. Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1066 to 1999


Grid Reference:TQ 67899 57538
Map Sheet:TQ65NE
Parish:WEST MALLING, TONBRIDGE AND MALLING, KENT

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 1999 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (II*) 1292816: PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

Full description

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[TQ 67905754] St. Mary's Church [NAT] (1) The parish church of St. Mary, West Malling has an early Norman chancel and tower. The nave collapsed in 1778 and has been replaced twice since. (2) The original endowment of Malling Abbey included the church of Malling- c. 1090 A.D. (3) Description (authority 2) correct. Modern north and south aisles, north porch. GP AO/59/55/7. Chancel north dooway. The church is in use for ecclesiastical purposes. (4) In normal use. (5) Church of St Mary. Grade B. Parish church. Early Norman western tower, 13th century chancel, and a good modern nave with aisles built in 1901 to replace and earlier classical design of 1778. [For full description see list]. (6) St. Mary. An uncommon history has produced the present pleasing building. Early Norman evidence in the chancel, one blocked tufa south window and part of another. Also a quoin in the north wall to mark a later lengthening. Renewed lancets, but a genuine 13th century north doorway with dogtooth. Naturally, the lengthening was a 13th century event. Early Norman evidence again at the west end, herringbone walling low in the north and south walls of the tower. Also a round- headed window high in the west wall. Tower with 1837 spire. Nave rebuilt in 1780-2 by Gwilt, and rebuilt again by Micklethwaite, 1900- 1, leaving the 18th century east end and half the west wall. North porch 1903. In the chancel, more 13th century details, original lancet rere-arches, those in the sancturary shafted Medieval south east vestry. There must have been a Norman nave filing the gap between chancel and tower, 72 ft long, ie. quite unusualy long. In fact, as an excavation in 1901 revealed, the nave took up only the east two-thirds of the gap - the west part was an east annex to the tower. Pevsner suggests the possibility that this is a Saxon idea. (7) Listed Grade II*. (8) (11)

Description from record TQ 65 NE 184:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
WEST MALLING
TQ6757 HIGH STREET 1156-0/2/68 Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin 25/08/59 (Formerly Listed as: HIGH STREET Church of St Mary)
GV II*
Parish church. Norman West tower, C13 chancel, vestry C14 and C15 altered in C20 with nave and aisles of 1901-3 by Micklethwaite mainly replacing an earlier classical design of 1778 by Guilt. Built of ragstone rubble, nave and aisles of coursed rubble with Bath stone dressings and Portland stone plinth. Tiled roof and shingled spire. West tower, nave with north and south aisles, north porch, chancel and vestry. West tower of 3 stages. Crenellated parapet and broached shingled spire surmounted by gilded weathervane. Corner buttresses. West face has louvred lancet window to bell storey. Ground floor has arched doorcase with renewed hood moulding and C18 6-panelled arched door, 1 panel having metal grille. South face has 1 lancet to lower floors and large gault brick round-headed arch to bell stage. East face has 2 louvred trefoiled windows to bell stage. Broached shingled spire. Nave and aisles are of galleted ragstone blocks with Bath stone dressings and Portland stone plinth. Clerestorey. Crenellated parapet to aisles. North aisle has 2 triple Kentish traceried windows, buttress and gabled porch with cross-shaped saddlestone. South aisle has 3 similar windows. West wall of south aisle has remains of 1778 aisle with Portland stone end quoins. East wall of nave, north aisle, and south aisle retains c1778 end wall with oculus with 4 keystones to Nave dated 1780, Portland stone quoins and cambered blocked windows with keystones to north and south aisles. Later cross-shaped saddlestone to apex of gable. Chancel has restored triple lancet east window and north front has 2 restored lancets and C13 arched doorcase with dogtooth moulding. Vestry attached to south is C14 and C15 in origin but much restored in C20. Built of stone rubble with band of ironstone, ironstone door surround and timber-framed gable. Interior: Nave of 4 bays with half bay at west end with organ gallery over. Balcony has in centre elaborately carved wooden arms of James II. Organ gallery has 2 wooden and 2 stone tablets with list of benefactions. Gallery stairs have unusual fretted balustrading and squared newel posts with finial. Font in C14 style and C18 style Wren style font. Aisle walls have series of good C18 wall monuments. Floor slabs including one basalt slab. 5 canted boarded roof with crenellations. Chancel has C13 collar beam roof, C14 archway to vestry in south wall and remains of C13 sedilia which was partially obscured by the early C17 Brett Monument. This is a fine monument in alabaster and plaster to Sir Robert Brett d 1620, his wife and son. This comprizes a deep plinth and round-headed canopy over supported on double Ionic columns with decorations of shields and putti. Full-sized horizontal effigies of Sir Robert and Lady Brett in attitudes of prayer with kneeling daughter to right and skeleton in shroud to left. C17 wall tablet to Dame Jane Fitzjames to north aisle. Early C16 brass to Elizabeth Pierrepoint, but only the top half of the body survives and brass to William Millys d 1497, 15 1/2in brass of a civilian. Good C18 wall tablets. (Buildings of England: Newman J: West Kent and the Weald: 575-576). Listing NGR: TQ6789657537 (12)


<1> OS 6" 1936 (OS Card Reference). SKE48337.

<2> Arch J 62 1905 186 (Rev A W Lawson) (OS Card Reference). SKE36666.

<3> Arch J 88 1932 176 (F H Fairweather) (OS Card Reference). SKE36753.

<4> F1 ASP 06-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE41962.

<5> F2 FGA 19-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43329.

<6> MHLG Malling RD Kent 1950 110 (OS Card Reference). SKE46899.

<7> The Buildings of England West Kent and the Weald 1980 600-601 illus (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50242.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 8 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3293.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 8 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3294.

<10> DNH List 30-Nov-1993 (OS Card Reference). SKE39780.

<11> Diocese of Rochester (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1995, West Malling, St Mary:Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29530.

<12> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1936.
<2>OS Card Reference: Arch J 62 1905 186 (Rev A W Lawson).
<3>OS Card Reference: Arch J 88 1932 176 (F H Fairweather).
<4>OS Card Reference: F1 ASP 06-JUN-59.
<5>OS Card Reference: F2 FGA 19-FEB-64.
<6>OS Card Reference: MHLG Malling RD Kent 1950 110.
<7>OS Card Reference: The Buildings of England West Kent and the Weald 1980 600-601 illus (J Newman).
<8>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 8 - June, 1959.
<9>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 65 NE 8 - February, 1964.
<10>OS Card Reference: DNH List 30-Nov-1993.
<11>Unpublished document: Diocese of Rochester (Tim Tatton-Brown). 1995. West Malling, St Mary:Diocesan church survey.
<12>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #11990 church, ]