Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1870. Chancel, nave, with shingled bell turret at its west end, supported on 2 stone buttresses flanking the west door and red brick south porch. The chancel is 13th century with later windows, the nave 14th century, the bell turret 1788 and the south porch 1870, when the church was restored.

Monument Types

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

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

Description from record TQ 93 NE 2 :
[TQ 9722 3760] St. Peter & St. Paul's Church (NAT) (1) The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Shadoxhurst, consists of a 13th c. chancel, a 14th c. nave, a 1788 bell turret. Restored in 1870 when a south porch was added. (2) In normal use. (3) 5272 SHADOXHURST CHURCH LANE Church of St Peter and St Paul TQ 9737 28/1 14.2.67. II* GV 2. Chancel, nave, with shingled bell turret at its west end, supported on 2 stone buttresses flanking the west door and red brick south porch. The chancel is C13 with later windows, the nave C14, the bell turret 1783 and the south porch 1870, when the church was restored. The nave has a barrel vaulted roof with crown post. Piscina. Monument to Sir Charles Molloy (died 1760). The churchyard contains some C18 skull, hourglass and cherub motif headstones. (4) St Peter and St Paul, mainly of the Decorated period, restored 1868-9. (5) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (6-9)

This is a simple building with only a nave and chancel, and almost all the features in it are of the early 14th century. Only the north and south lancets in the chancel suggest that this part of the building is late 13th century. There is no other visible evidence for an earlier church.

The late 13th century chancel has tall wide lancets (of Ragstone and with some Caenstone) with window seats inside the south lancet (as in contemporary domestic architecture), which presumably acted as the sedilia. The seats are chamfered out at the top, and on the chamfered internal arises there are bar-stops. All the masonry exhibits comb-chisel work. The north lancet just has a simple internal ledge, and the aumbry niche immediately to the east (without its door) may be contemporary.

The nave appears to have been completely rebuilt in the early 14th century with three buttresses on either side (most of the chamfered plinths are buried below the external drainage gulley). Two larger western buttresses were added to the west wall which support an added west arch which in turn supports the western part of a small timber-turret for 3 bells (though only one 1592 bell survives). The western buttresses are notable for their use of Bethersden marble `long and short' work in their quoins. Bethersden marble has also apparently been used in the voussoirs for the arch above, as well as in the lowest quoins in other buttresses in the nave and chancel. All the other quoins are of Ragstone (with quite a few restored weatherings of Bathstone), and all the main walls are of Ragstone rubble.

On the north and south sides of the nave are two pairs of two-light early 14th century windows with trefoiled heads and ogee quatrefoils above. The north window tracery is slightly different from that on the south, though the latter tracery is entirely restored in Bathstone. There are simple external hoods. The south and west doorways (with 19th century doors) are also early 14th century with simple mouldings and pyramid stops.

An unusual feature is the large Ragstone brackets (perhaps for images) in the east jambs of the north-east and south-east nave windows. There is another smaller corbel in the south-east wall of the nave. There is also a simple chamfered early 14th century chancel arch, and the cinquefoil-headed piscina in the chancel and 3-light east window (with reticulated tracery) are also early 14th century additions. There are contemporary eastern ragstone buttresses, also with Bethersden marble at the base.

The plain hexagonal font at the south-west corner of the nave may also be early 14th century, though the crown-post roof over the nave is perhaps a bit later. There is also a medieval simple collar and rafter roof over the chancel (see eaves), but this is boarded in.

There is an 18th century south porch (completely rebuilt in 1985), and two bells were apparently removed from the western turret at the end of the 18th century when it was rebuilt.

The main, fairly thorough, restoration came in 1868-9. No early fittings, except the font, survive inside the church. The ancient glass in the east window was apparently reset in a new western lancet at this time.

The nave was refloored in 1964-5 after dry-rot problems, and given a new pulpit, etc., new pews (reconstituted) were acquired in 1977. (10)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5272 SHADOXHURST CHURCH LANE Church of St Peter and St Paul TQ 9737 28/1 14.2.67. II* GV 2. Chancel, nave, with shingled bell turret at its west end, supported on 2 stone buttresses flanking the west door and red brick south porch. The chancel is C13 with later windows, the nave C14, the bell turret 1788 and the south porch 1870, when the church was restored. The nave has a barrel vaulted roof with crown post. Piscina. Monument to Sir Charles Molloy (died 1760). The churchyard contains some C18 skull, hourglass and cherub motif headstones. Listing NGR: TQ9723737601 (11)

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

<2> MHLG Provisional List W Ashford RD Oct 1960 59 No 20/1 (OS Card Reference). SKE47167.

<3> F1 ASP 25-FEB-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42280.

<4> DOE (HHR) Dist of Ashford Kent Oct 1980 194 (OS Card Reference). SKE40194.

<5> Bldgs of Eng W Kent and the Weald 1980 519-20 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38014.

<6> A brief account of the parish of Shadoxhurst 1836 (C Nairne) (OS Card Reference). SKE32754.

<7> The old book of Shadoxhurst a brief account of the parish of Shadoxhurst in the County of Kent 1960 (OS Card Reference). SKE50449.

<8> Shadoxhurst a village history 1977 (LM Crowns) (OS Card Reference). SKE49450.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 93 NE 2 - February, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4711.

<10> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1994, Shadoxhurst, St Peter & Paul:Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29490.

<11> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading