Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Pre 1279 Church including remains of Saxon Church Grade II* listed building. Late 11th or 12th century parish church with 13th -15th century additions and alterations. A restoration took place in 1891. The church is constructed of ragstone with a plain tile roof

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1067 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 73415331] St. Mary's Church [NAT] (1) The patronage of the church of East Farleigh was part of the ancient possessions of the crown until c. 1314 when it was given to the Hospital in Maidstone. (1-2) The church is known as St. Mary's. The tower is Early English; many of the windows of the church are Decorated and Perpendicular; the porch is old. (3) The church comprises west tower, nave, chancel, north and south aisles and south porch. It has a shingled broach spire. A modern north vestry adjoins the chancel. List of vicars within the church commences in 1279 AD. The nave and aisles are a rebuilding of the 19th c. incorporating some of the original windows. The chancel and Lady Chapel have 14th/15th c. windows and early timber roofs. The original west door to the nave, now within the tower, has chevron ornament around the arch; a fragment of long and short work is discernible at NW corner of the nave. GP A0/59/19/7 from south of Tower. The church is in use for ecclesiastical purposes. (4) Checked and correct. (5) Church of St. Mary, Lower Road, East Farleigh. Grade II*. Parish Church. Late C11 or C12, C13 C14 and C15, restored 1891. [For full description see list]. (6-7)

Description from record TQ 75 SW 111:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
LOWER ROAD TQ 75 SW EAST FARLEIGH (North Side) 2/34 Church of St. Mary 23.5.67 II* GV
Parish church. Late Cll or C12, C13, C14 and Cl5, restored 1891 by J.L. Pearson. Ragstone, with plain tile roof. Wood shingles to spire. West tower, nave, south aisle, south porch with parvis chamber, chancel with south chapel, north vestry, north aisle. West tower: C13, possibly with earlier origins. Roughly coursed ragstone rubble. Battered plinth. No stages. North-east pilaster buttress with tufa quoins, and traces of another to south-east. Splay-footed octagonal tower with C19 lucarnes. Lancet to each face of belfry except east. Small rectangular light towards centre of tower below each lancet. Moulded pointed-arched west doorway with renewed scroll-moulded hoodmould. South aisle: re-built or re-faced in 1891. Small blocks of evenly-coursed dressed stone on chamfered stone plinth. Moulded and gargoyled string-course below plain parapet with moulded stone coping. Diagonal south-west and south-east buttresses and 2 south buttresses. C19 west window and three C19 south windows in a late C13 style. South porch: in a similar style to south aisle, with parapet raised to point over doorway. Chamfered plinth. Diagonal south-west and south-east buttresses. South window to parvis chamber of two trefoil-headed lights with squared hoodmould. Small rectangular west light to porch and blocked trefoil-headed light to east. South doorway possibly C15 with cavetto-moulded pointed arch and doubly plain-chamfered jambs, with broach stops and renewed moulded hoodmould. C19 inner doorway and ribbed medieval inner door. South chapel: C14. Roughly-coursed ragstone but with chamfered plinth, moulded string- course and parapet as south aisle. String-course and parapet raised to point over east window. 2-light C15 south window with hoodmould and tracery of vertical bars. Late C14 or early C15 two-light east window with trefoil- headed lights, encircled quatrefoils and moulded hoodmould. Chancel: C14 or earlier core. Roughly coursed ragstone. Extends east of chapels. Chamfered plinth. 2-light south window with renewed tracery of vertical bars, and hoodmould. Broad 3-light east window with moulded medieval jambs and similar tracery. 2-light C19 north window with trefoil. Vestry: C19 at right-angles to chancel, with lower extension to north. North aisle: 1891, in same style as south aisle. 4 north windows alternating with buttresses; one 3-light towards east, rest 2-light. Interior: structure: 4-bay nave arcade to north and south, of 1891, with chamfered pointed arches springing from clustered shafts. Pointed cavetto-moulded C15 chancel arch, inner moulding springing from attached semi-circular shafts with moulded semi- octagonal capitals and bases; outer moulding continuous. Pointed doubly plain-chamfered C14 arch between chancel and south chapel, springing from scroll-moulded imposts. Doubly plain-chamfered C14 pointed arch with renewed base between south chapel and south aisle. Late C11 or C12 west doorway to nave, possibly re-set or re-worked, visible from base of tower, with chamfered imposts, raised hoodmould and chevron band. Part of chamfered jamb of blocked opening immediately above west end of sedilia. C19 hagioscope to south chancel chapel. Roof: restored collared common rafters with scissor-braces and ashlar pieces to nave. Moulded octagonal crown-post to chancel, on C19 tie-beam, with sous-laces and ashlar-pieces. Shallow- pitched roof to south chapel, with broad ridge-beam butted by rafters and supported on chamfered tie-beams. C19 lean-to roofs to aisles. Fittings: trefoil-headed piscina, probably C19, with continuous roll-and-fillet moulding. Triple sedilia with partly renewed hollow- chamfered pointed- arched heads and scroll-moulded C19 hoodmould. Octagonal font. Monuments: large C14 tomb recess to south wall of south chapel, with moulded multi- cusped ogee arch with crocket finial. Shallow tomb recess to north wall of chancel with depressed moulded multi-cusped arch with daggered and quatrefoiled spandrels and panelled chest. Tablet on north wall of chancel to Agnes Wilberforce, d. 1834, by Samuel Joseph. Rectangular tablet on plain consoles, with fluted side panels. Above, a white marble relief of mourning family by draped urn on pedestal, with tapering grey marble back plate. Decoration: C19 stained glass to east window with scenes from Passion. South chapel with C19 mottled grey and green-tiled dado, tiled figures of Old Testament women above dado rail, and chequered black-and- white marble floor. (J. Newman, B.O.E. Series, West Kent and Weald, 1980). Listing NGR: TQ7291753345 (10)

HE archive material (11)

<1> OS 6" 1938 (OS Card Reference). SKE48349.

<2> History of Kent 4 1798 380 (Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44112.

<3> A Saunter thro Kent with Pen and Pencil 30 1935 28 (C Igglesden) (OS Card Reference). SKE32848.

<4> F1 ASP 03-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE41908.

<5> F2 CFW 07-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43211.

<6> DOE (HHR) Dist of Maidstone Kent 26 February 1987 17 (OS Card Reference). SKE40299.

<7> Bldgs of Eng West Kent and the Weald 1980 264 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38054.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 16 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4001.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 16 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4002.

<10> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<11> Historic England, Archive material associated with St Mary's Church, East Farleigh, Listed Building (Archive). SKE53984.

Sources and further reading