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Monument details

HER Number:TR 15 NE 699
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:CHAPEL OF ST PANCRAS RUINS

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 598 to 1164. Anglo-Saxon church probably built during the early to mid 7th century almost entirely using Roman bricks with Roman columns for the chancel arches. It consisted of a simple nave with a narrower apse with a small porticus on its south side. Between the nave and the apse was a cross-wall opened through an arcade. Excavations in the 1970s showed a second phase of Anglo-Saxon construction when some of the walls were substantially rebuilt and porticus added on the north, south and west of the nave. A cemetery was associated with this church phase. Partly rebuilt after storm damage circa 1390 with a square east end and a large window. Possibly used as a cemetery chapel.


Grid Reference:TR 1549 5775
Map Sheet:TR15NE
Parish:CANTERBURY, CANTERBURY, KENT

Monument Types

Protected Status:Listed Building (I) 1096932: CHAPEL OF ST PANCRAS RUINS AND REMAINS OF ST AUGUSTINE'S ABBEY

Full description

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Description from record TR 15 NE 83:
[TR 15575774] St Pancras' Church [GT] (Remains of) [NAT]. (1) St Pancras Church, Canterbury, was excavated in 1900 by Hope who found an early structure built largely of Roman brick and consisting of a nave and an eastern apse which was replaced in the 14thc by a square chancel. Wm Thorne, a late 14thc chronicler, dated the first structure to 597 and the excavation tends to confirm this. (2-3) (See plan GP/F/54/83/3/(3) Scheduled. (4) St Pancras Church, as described and in good condition, is in the care of the MOW. (5) Additional bibliography. (6-13) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (14) St Pancras: A 7th century church, apparently never parochial, with 14th century rebuilt and enlarged chancel. (15) Nave, west porch and south porticus of 7th century church in Roman brick. Much of west porch north wall extant. Otherwise low walls remain. North porticus missing. Chancel rebuilt with rectangular plan14thc, with greater remains, especially east wall. Traces of original eastern apse. Originally part of St Augustine's Abbey. (16) Additional references. (17-23)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 944 MONASTERY STREET (East Side)
Remains of St Augustine's Abbey Chapel of St Pancras (Ruins) TR 1557 NW 5/152B TR 1557 NE 6/152B 3.12.49.
I
2. The Abbey dates from 598 AD and was built for the monks who followed St Augustine from Rome, 3 churches were originally built on the side, the Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Church of St Mary and the Church of St Pancras. Traces of the walls remain. They were built largely of Roman brick, 2 side chapels were built for burial, the Chapel of St Gregory contained the early archbishops, including St Augustine_and the chapel of St Martin containd the remains of King Ethelbert, Queen Bertha and their chaplain Bishop Liudhard. In 1049, Abbot Wulfric bridged the gap between the Abbey Church and the Church of St Mary with a Rotunda. Between 1070 and 1087, all the Saxon buildings were razed to the ground and a new church built. The north wall of the Norman nave is the best preserved part of the abbey, together with some column bases of the Crypt. The Chapel of St Pancras the 3rd of the C6 churches was built of Roman brick with Roman columns reused for the chancel arches, One wall of the west porch stands nearly to its full height.
Both the remains of St Augustine's Abbey and the Chapel of St Pancras are Scheduled AM.
Listing NGR: TR1547857821 (24)

Additional bibliography (25-26)

Historic england archive material: AL1197/080/03 A general view showing the remains of St Pancras Church AL1197/082/03 A general view showing the remains of St Pancras Church


<1> OS 1/2500 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48127.

<2> Arch Cant 25 1902 222-37 plan illusts (WH St J Hope) (OS Card Reference). SKE34881.

<3> Arch J 86 1930 279 plan (AW Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE36740.

<4> AM England & Wales 1961 59 (MOW) (OS Card Reference). SKE33020.

<5> F1 ASP 05-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE41940.

<6> Arch J 58 1901 220-222 402-433 (CR Peers) (OS Card Reference). SKE36658.

<7> Arch J 53 1896 313 (JT Micklethwaite) (OS Card Reference). SKE36647.

<8> Arch 77 1927 205-206 plan (AW Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE34451.

<9> Arch Cant 14 1882 103-112 illus (CF Routledge) (OS Card Reference). SKE34707.

<10> The Arts in Early England 2 1925 447 (G Baldwin Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE50095.

<11> Anglo Saxon Architect 3 1978 1098 (HM Taylor) (OS Card Reference). SKE33074.

<12> Arch of AS England 1976 163-4 167 175 (DM Wilson) (OS Card Reference). SKE36819.

<13> Med Arch 20 1976 163-4 182 (LE Webster & J Cherry) (OS Card Reference). SKE46748.

<14> Eng Ro Arch Before the Conquest 1930 19-21 plan (AW Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE41598.

<15> DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent Sept 1973 144 (OS Card Reference). SKE40001.

<16> Hist Builds Survey Cant City Council/RCHME 57030 4 (OS Card Reference). SKE43861.

<17> Anglo-Saxon Archit I 1965 134-148 (HM Taylor J Taylor) (OS Card Reference). SKE33084.

<18> Arch J 84 1927 462 (RU Potts) (OS Card Reference). SKE36695.

<19> Arch Cant 46 1934 182 (RU Potts) (OS Card Reference). SKE35176.

<20> Md Arch 22 1978 26 plan (A Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE46620.

<21> St Augustine's Abbey DOE Handbook 1955 13-14 (A Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE49551.

<22> Arch Cant 100 1984 336 334-4 (M Sparks) (OS Card Reference). SKE34541.

<23> St Augustine's Abbey Eng Heritage Handbook 1988 31-32 plan (M Sparks) (OS Card Reference). SKE49577.

<24> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<25> Helen Geake, 1997, The use of grave-goods in conversion-period England, c.600-c.850 (Monograph). SKE54254.

<26> Dominic Tweddle, Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjolbye-Biddle, 1995, A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, volume 4 : south-east England (OS Card Reference). SKE54614.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 1/2500 1957.
<2>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 25 1902 222-37 plan illusts (WH St J Hope).
<3>OS Card Reference: Arch J 86 1930 279 plan (AW Clapham).
<4>OS Card Reference: AM England & Wales 1961 59 (MOW).
<5>OS Card Reference: F1 ASP 05-FEB-65.
<6>OS Card Reference: Arch J 58 1901 220-222 402-433 (CR Peers).
<7>OS Card Reference: Arch J 53 1896 313 (JT Micklethwaite).
<8>OS Card Reference: Arch 77 1927 205-206 plan (AW Clapham).
<9>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 14 1882 103-112 illus (CF Routledge).
<10>OS Card Reference: The Arts in Early England 2 1925 447 (G Baldwin Brown).
<11>OS Card Reference: Anglo Saxon Architect 3 1978 1098 (HM Taylor).
<12>OS Card Reference: Arch of AS England 1976 163-4 167 175 (DM Wilson).
<13>OS Card Reference: Med Arch 20 1976 163-4 182 (LE Webster & J Cherry).
<14>OS Card Reference: Eng Ro Arch Before the Conquest 1930 19-21 plan (AW Clapham).
<15>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent Sept 1973 144.
<16>OS Card Reference: Hist Builds Survey Cant City Council/RCHME 57030 4.
<17>OS Card Reference: Anglo-Saxon Archit I 1965 134-148 (HM Taylor J Taylor).
<18>OS Card Reference: Arch J 84 1927 462 (RU Potts).
<19>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 46 1934 182 (RU Potts).
<20>OS Card Reference: Md Arch 22 1978 26 plan (A Saunders).
<21>OS Card Reference: St Augustine's Abbey DOE Handbook 1955 13-14 (A Clapham).
<22>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 100 1984 336 334-4 (M Sparks).
<23>OS Card Reference: St Augustine's Abbey Eng Heritage Handbook 1988 31-32 plan (M Sparks).
<24>Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
<25>Monograph: Helen Geake. 1997. The use of grave-goods in conversion-period England, c.600-c.850.
<26>OS Card Reference: Dominic Tweddle, Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjolbye-Biddle. 1995. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, volume 4 : south-east England.

Related records

TR 15 NE 124Part of: St Augustine's Abbey (Monument)