Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1799 Early C14th & later church

Monument Types

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

Full description

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Description from record TQ 83 SW 5:
[TQ 8450 3122] St. Mary's Church (NAT) (1) St. Mary's Church, Rolvenden: The arcades are early 14th c. and the windows of the north aisle are Decorated: the exterior is chiefly Perpendicular. (2) In normal use. (3) 5272 ROLVENDEN Parish Church of St Mary TQ 8431 18/252 16.8.62. I 2. Built of rubble sandstone with west tower of ironstone. Chancel with North and South Chapels, Nave with Aisles, North Porch with parvise and West Tower. Lancet windows in the Chancel, the arcades of the Chancel and the South arcade of the Nave are C13, the North Aisle of the Nave is C14. The remainder of the Church is C15. Five bay Nave with Kingpost roof. Organ supported on 4 octagonal cast iron columns. In the South, or St Katherine and St Mary's Chapel is an unusual Gallery, erected in 1825, which is the family pew of the occupants of Hole Park. Beneath this Gallery is the mortuary Chapel of the Gybbon-Monypenny family which occupied Hole Park prior to the present century. The churchyard contains table tombs, oval bodystones and C18 headstones with skull, hourglass, serpent biting tail, heavenly crown, urn and cherub and trumpet motifs. (4) St Mary the Virgin, Rolvenden, rubble sandstone, the west tower of chocolate-coloured ironstone with white rag quoins. The earliest evidence is of the 13th century. (5)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
ROLVENDEN 1. 5272 Parish Church of St Mary TQ 8431 18/252 16.8.62. I
2. Built of rubble sandstone with west tower of ironstone. Chancel with North and South Chapels, Nave with Aisles, North Porch with parvise and West Tower. Lancet windows in the Chancel, the arcades of the Chancel and the South arcade of the Nave are C15, the North Aisle of the Nave is C14. The remainder of the Church is C15. Five bay Nave with Kingpost roof. Organ supported on 4 octagonal cast iron columns. In the South, or St Katherine and St Mary's Chapel is an unusual Gallery, erected in 1825, which is the family pew of the occupants of Hole Park. Beneath this Gallery is the mortuary Chapel of the Gybbon-Monypenny family which occupied Hole Park prior to the present century. The churchyard contains table tombs, oval bodystones and C18 headstones with skull, hourglass, serpent biting tail, heavenly crown, urn and cherub and trumpet motifs.
Listing NGR: TQ8451231219 (6)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Kent 1935 259 (J C Cox) (OS Card Reference). SKE45683.

<3> F1 ASP 05-FEB-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41939.

<4> DOE (HHR) Boro of Ashford Kent Aug 1979 74 (OS Card Reference). SKE39813.

<5> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 2nd Ed 1980 497-8 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37944.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 83 SW 5 - February, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4338.

<6> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading