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Monument details

HER Number:TR 24 SW 7
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:Hoad Farm

Summary

Grade II* listed Farmhouse, C13 or early 14thC with 17th, 18th and 19thC alterations. Main construction periods 1200 to 1899


Grid Reference:TR 2113 4310
Map Sheet:TR24SW
Parish:ACRISE, SHEPWAY, KENT
SWINGFIELD, SHEPWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • FARMHOUSE (Medieval to Modern - 1340 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (II*) 1251021: HOAD FARM

Full description

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[TR 19384224] St. Martin's Church (NR) (1) The Church of St Martin, is 12th century. (2) In normal use. (3) 13/1 Church of St Martin. Grade B. Chancel and nave with shingle bell turret and spire at the west end of the nave. Of Norman origin with Transitional-Norman alterations including the chancel arch. C.18 ws. and gallery at the west end of the nave. (4) Additional reference. (5) Listed Grade I. (6)
A church is mentioned in Domesday Book, and Domesday Monachorum tells us that it was a chapel to Lyminge. This is almost certainly the shell of the present church, though with perhaps a shorter chancel. In the visible parts of the outer walls, one can see rough coursed whole flint and ironstone (some herringbone) masonry. On the south side of the chancel, a blocked original doorway, and just to the east of it, the east jamb of an original round-headed window. There is also probably a blocked original window half way up the west wall of the nave (between the buttresses). All have very rough ironstone jambs and head. Unfortunately the north wall of the nave and chancel is covered in ? 18th century and later render, so other medieval doors and windows are not visible here.

The four quoins of the nave are made of small-block diagonally tooled Caenstone of the 12th century (with some later repairs at the bottom in Rag and Portland stone). The masonry here suggests that all these quoins were rebuilt, perhaps replacing rough ironstone (as used in the early jambs). The chancel arch also contains reused crenellated blocks (of an early 12th century date), as well as a capitals, shafts and bases below. These presumably come from the early 12th century chancel arch.

In the late 12th century a tall lancet was put into the centre of each side of the chancel. The chancel may have been lengthened slightly at this time. At the west end of the nave is a small 13th century doorway with a continuous external roll.

The east wall of the chancel, with its high external ragstone plinth under the east window, must date from the late 13th (or very early 14th) century. It has a fine 2-light trefoil-headed east window with an internal rere-arch. Externally there is no hood-mould, and all the original Ragstone blocks survive. There were more 2-light windows of similar date on the south side of the chancel. They flank the lancet, and there may have been two more on the north, but the render there covers any external evidence for this. On the south side of the nave, the window on the east was blocked (? in the 19th cent.) but the jambs and base of the central mullion can just be seen, as well as one (west) block for a trefoiled head. Only the internal jambs for the west chancel window survive. The two corbels that flank the altar in the chancel may also be of this date.

As already mentioned, the chancel arch was rebuilt reusing some early 12th cent. carved blocks. This was perhaps done when the pointed arch was made, and the head (in place of a capital), was put in on the south side in the late 13th century.

The nave and chancel both have fine crown-post roofs over them, and these probably date to the 15th century. This is probably also the time when the two large buttresses were added outside the west end of the nave, so that a timber turret could be constructed in the west bay of the nave roof. (There is also a possible scar for an earlier medieval roof on the east wall of the nave above the chancel arch).

The gallery in the west end of the nave was perhaps built up in the late 17th or 18th century. Also in the 18th century all the earlier nave windows were replaced by round-headed brick windows, three on each side. At the same time the walls were probably rendered and given a thicker dado (this has now gone on the north side). A brick porch was also built on the south with fine blue-headers in Flemish bond externally. The porch is entered through a flattened round arch, while the way into the church was through a ? contemporary doorcase (with double internal and external doors) that obscure any earlier doorway. The window on the south-west side of the chancel may have been replaced with its round-head at this date, or perhaps a little later (early 19th cent.). The one bell in the turret dates from 1664.

In 1824 there is documented a major restoration, taking 6 months. New box pews were put in, and the west gallery was restored. The surviving wall-panelling and the large 'great house' pew in the south-east corner of the nave probably date from this time. It now contains a table dated 1758 (an earlier altar?). (The pulpit was no doubt in the north-east corner of the nave). All the windows in the nave and chancel (except the east window of 1897) were glazed in their wood and iron frames in 1855. The crenellated top of the turret and the spire were also probably added in 1824 (according to Glynne, who visited here in 1868, the belfry was tiled and the spire slated). The marble flooring, including the black and white paving in the porch may also date from this time. The font in also 19th century, as in the brass altar rail.

There appears to be no major Victorian work, though the present pews went in in 1903. The spire and turret were given their present form in 1922, when after stripping, a new shingle cover was provided. There was much ivy on the turret before this. The little wall between the buttresses at the extreme west end (containing a Bath stone lancet) may also dated from 1922, as this was when heating was first installed. Electric lighting and proper heating were not installed until 1962, and the gallery was restored three years later when a new staircase was made and the positive organ was installed there. The tiny children's chairs in the gallery are apparently early 19th century. (8)

Description from record TR 24 SW 42:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:

TR 24 SW ACRISE -
5/8 Hoad Farm
27.8.52 II *
Partly in Swingfield civil parish. Farmhouse. C13 or early C14, with C17, C18 and C19 alterations. Flint, with stone quoins and dressings. C18 and C19 brick dressings to front elevation. Left gable end rebuilt in C20 in banded flint and brick. Plain tile roof. Open hall, probably of two bays, with storeyed end bay to left, and probably also to right. Further, probably contemporary, section to left, approximately half the width, its rear wall continuous with that of main range, and with the principal room or rooms on the first floor. 2 storeys. No visible plinth. Roof of left section hipped to left with similar-height eaves, but lower ridge than main range. Steeply-pitched hipped roof with gablets to main range. Multiflue brick ridge stack towards left end of main range and smaller ridge stack towards right end. Irregular fenestration of 6 windows; one broad, plain- chamfered pointed lancet towards centre of left section, two sashes towards left end of main range (one two-pane with margin lights, one four-pane), one sash with margin lights towards centre, and another to right end, and one two-light casement under right stack. Small chamfered rectangular stone ground-floor (or undercroft) window under lancet. Boarded door with segmental head to left end of main range. Door with two sunk panels behind red brick porch with tile-hung gable and plain tile roof under right stack. Lean-to with tile-hung gable to front part of left gable end of main range, partly obscuring left section. Single-storey C19 banded flint and brick outbuilding with gabled plain tile roof, running forwards from lean-to. Rear elevation: central first-floor lancet, and small plain-chamfered rectangular ground-floor light to left section, opposite those in front elevation. Another, blocked/rectangular ground-floor light towards left gable end. Partly blocked first-floor window with plain-chamfered jamb and segmental head towards left (west) end of main range. Short central flint- and-brick lean-to covering a low, pointed-arched plain-chamfered doorway virtually under (later) stack, and a taller pointed-arched doorway a few feet to right of it, rebated for door to outer side, plain-chamfered to inner side (access to a non-extant stair turret?). Just beyond lean-to to right (east), a tall partly blocked trefoil-headed hall window breaking storeys. To right of that, a tall, blocked, pointed-arched doorway under stack, probably to cross-passage, and containing within it a rectangular C17 chamfered brick window. C20 two-light casement to each floor towards right end. Interior: stone corbels for floor within left section, which measures approximately 9' by 21' internally. Pointed-arched first-floor stone doorway, chamfered to right side, towards rear of wall between left section and main range. Left stack has brick fireplace with cambered bressumer to ground floor on left side, with post to front corner. First-floor fireplace above, bolection-moulded, with moulded mantelshelf and panelled overmantel izith raised moulded surround. Brick fireplace in English bond to right side of right stack, with possibly re-used chamfered stone jambs, with concealed wallpainting above it reading IB . Chamfered cross and axial beams to 16 97 room between stacks. Panelled doors. Roof not inspected.
Listing NGR: TR2246042965 (1)

Formerly open stone built 2-bay hall with a further bay at each end and a small attached range to the south west. (2)

Historic England archive material (3)


<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> Pearson, S., Barnwell, P. S. & Adams, A. T., 1994, A Gazetteer of Medieval Houses in Kent (Monograph). SKE8010.

<3> Historic England, Archive material associated with Hoad Farm, Acrise, Listed Building (Archive). SKE57238.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
<2>Monograph: Pearson, S., Barnwell, P. S. & Adams, A. T.. 1994. A Gazetteer of Medieval Houses in Kent.
<3>Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Hoad Farm, Acrise, Listed Building.