Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

C12 church with C13 to C16 additions. Roman tiles incorporated in fabric. Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1956. Early 12th century church which comprised an aisless nave and chancel. A north aisle was added in the late 12th century or early 13th century. Further extensions took place in the 14th century; the west tower was added in the late 14th or early 15th century. The church was then reduced to its present size in the 16th century. The church was restored and reconsecrated in 1956. additions. It is constructed of ragstone rubble with a plain tile roof.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1100 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 7166 6201] St Mary's Church [NAT] (1) Disused church of St Mary at Burham - After successive periods of enlargement the church has been returned to its original C12th plan, but the work of every period from the C12th to the C16th can be tracedin the walls. The original early C12th church consisted of an aisle- less nave with small chancel. A N aisle was added late C12th or early C13th, and soon afterwards a S aisle was also added, and later the chancel was rebuilt on a much larger scale. Further extensions took place in the C14th, and a western tower was added late in the C14th orearly in the C15th. The church was apparently reduced to its present proportions in the C16th and a porch was added on the site of the S aisle. (2) Description of visit. Mention of flat Roman tiles to be seen in the older parts of the church. (3) Brief description. (4) Reconsecrated 1956 and in use for occasional public worhip. (5) Church of St Mary The Virgin, Grade I. Church. C12-C15, restored 1956. Tower, nave with S porch and chancel. Random ragstone rubble, plain tiled roofs. 3 stage W tower. C15 with pointed arched and traceried windows on 1st stage above door and on all sides at belfry stage. Crenellated parapet and octagonal SW stairs turret only visible at parapet level. Nave with 2 windows to S with porch to left and 3 windows to N. C12 windows to right on nave S side, and blocked to N. Blocked arcades of N aisle clearly visible on nave and chancel; former aisle also to S. C13 chancel with one window on each side and C14 E window. Interior: simple C13 nave arcades remain partially visible; square piers and pointed single-chamfered arches. Timber roofto nave, braced and trussed with ashlars. Font. Norman. Square bowl with arcade side decoration. (6) St Mary. The old church was deserted as the village moved to higher ground. It was rescued from dereliction in 1956. One Norman S window and another (blocked) N window in the nave. C13th chancel with a N chapel. Rude C13th nave arcades. Square piers and pointed single- chamfered arches. Perpendicular W tower with a W window that looks Decorated rather than Perpendicular. Diagonal buttresses panelled withknapped flint squares on the outer faces. Finally, as the drift to thehills began, chapel and aisles were demolished, leaving the church little larger than it was in the Norman beginning. (7)


Desk based assessment composed in July 2002. (10)

In 1996 a watching brief was carried out during the excavation of a 'French' drain around the north and east sides of the church and the south porch. The trenches were between 0.6m and 1.0m deep.

At the north-west end of the nave a west wall for a demolished aisle was discovered.This ran north and was in line with the west wall of the nave. The surviving portion was 0.7m wide and 0.4m high.

At the south side of the nave, west of the porch, the remains of the west wall of the south nave arcade were found. The wall had an upper coursing of flint and a base of chalk blocks. A spread of demolition rubble from the south aisle overlay the remains and it had been truncated by grave cuts.

A short length of wall was observed to the west of the chancel, also constructed of flint and stone. The wall abutted the blocking wall of the western bay of the north nave arcade.

The north and south walls of the earlier chancel were found beneath two standing buttresses at the east end of the church.

Mortar flooring was observed in the northern trench, opposite the site of a blocked door in the eastern bay of the north chancel arcade.

Inspection of the external face of the north wall of the nave below the present ground surface revealed two pier bases and the base of a western respond. These were constructed mainly of stone with occasional chalk blocks. Evidence of three blocked arcades can be seen in the main bodty of the north wall of the nave respecting the position of the pier bases.

Inspection of the north chancel wall below the present ground level revealed a wall constructed mainly of rectangular chalk blocks with a light brown coarse mortar bonding beneath the blocking wall of the chancel arcade. This part of the wall was slgihtly offset to that of the nave wall.

Three burials were also recorded.

The assessment of these remains provides as interesting example and demonstration of the growth and contraction of a medieval church before its final abandonment in 1881.(11)

Description from record TQ 76 SW 398:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
BURHAM CP TQ 76 SW 4/115 Church of St Mary The Virgin 25.8.59
- I
Church. C12-C15, restored 1956. Tower, nave with south porch and chancel. Random ragstone rubble, plain tiled roofs. 3 stage west tower. C15 with pointed arched and traceried windows on 1st stage above door and on all sides at belfry stage. Crenellated parapet and octagonal south-west stair turret only visible at parapet level. Nave with 2 windows to south with porch to left and 3 windows to north. C12 windows to right on nave south side, and blocked to north. Blocked arcades of north aisle clearly visible on nave and chancel; former aisle also to south. C13 chancel with one window on each side and C14 east window. Interior: simple C13 nave arcades remain partially visible; square piers and pointed single-chamfered arches. Timber roof to nave, braced and trussed with ashlars. Font. Norman. Square bowl with arcade side decoration. Listing NGR: TQ7275062044 (12)

<1> OS 6" 1939 (OS Card Reference). SKE48359.

<2> JBAA Vol 34 NS 1928 p.205-22 plan and illusts (A R Martin) (OS Card Reference). SKE45013.

<3> Rochester Naturalist Vol 4 1908 p.43 (OS Card Reference). SKE49313.

<4> In Kentish Pilgrim Land 1925 p.158 illust (W C Finch) (OS Card Reference). SKE44210.

<5> Information Rev H F H Hamilton Vicar of Burham (OS Card Reference). SKE44477.

<6> F1 CFW 30-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42836.

<7> DOE (HHR) Dist of Tonbridge and Malling Kent 1987 42 (OS Card Reference). SKE40405.

<8> The Buildings of England West Kent and the Weald 1980 195-6 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50226.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 76 SW 14 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4173.

<10> CgMs Consulting, 2002, Assessment of Historic Buildings, Peters Pit, Burham, Wouldham and Snodland. (Unpublished document). SKE13722.

<11> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1996, The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Burham. Archaeological Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SKE15659.

<12> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading