Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1067 to 1899. A late 11th century church extended in the 12th and 13th century and restored in the mid to late 19th century.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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Description from record TR 03 NE 7:
(TR 09383845) Ch. (NAT) (1) The Church of St Mary, Sellindge, has a Norman tower, a 13th c. chancel, nave, and north aisle, or Chapel of St. Erasmus, and a 14th north or Lady Chapel. (2) In normal use. (3) Grade B. Church of St. Mary, Sellindge. Chancel with north chapel, nave with north aisle and porch, west tower with shingled roof and vestry to the north of it. The tower is Norman. The chancel the nave and the north aisle or chapel of St. Erasmus are C13. The North Chapel or Lady Chapel is C.14. The north porch and vestry are modern. (4) St Mary, Norman windows in the West tower but the tower arch is pointed and the head of the west doorway segmental and not semi-circular. The Nave may pre-date it as the south-east quoin is built without dressed stones, a Saxo-Norman feature. Part of a Norman arch was recently uncovered in the Chancel. Yet the general impression is of a Early English church. (5) Church of St Mary. Late C11, C12 and C13, restored mid-to-late C19. (6)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:

TR 03 NE SELLINDGE MAIN ROAD (South Side)
2/85 Church of St Mary 29.12.66 GV I
Parish church. Late C11, C12 and C13, restored mid-to-late C19. Ragstone, with plain tile roofs. West tower, nave, chancel, continuous north chapel and north aisle, north porch, north vestry to tower. West tower: late C11 or C12. No plinth. Large diagonal south-west buttress. No stages. Pyramidal spire with weathervane. One round-headed louvred belfry light to each of west and north faces, and 2 smaller to east. South belfry window with segmental head. Narrower round-headed light below north belfry light and small lancet to south. 2-light west window with trefoil-headed lights and squared hoodmould. Low west doorway with Segmental head of small even voussoirs springing from chamfered imposts. Nave: probably C11. No plinth. 2 south buttresses. South-east corner with un-dressed quoins. 2 sets of late C18 or early C19 paired rendered red brick lancets to south. Chancel: late C11 or C12 altered in C13. No plinth. Traces of herringbone stonework towards west end of south wall. Scroll-moulded string to east end of south wall, returning to east, and along north wall. 2-light C15 cinque- foiled and traceried south-west window with hoodmould. 2-light south-east window in a similar style. Paired lancets to east. Low C19 priest's doorway to south, with porch. Rainwater head dated 1876. North Chapel: later C13. Battered plinth. Gabled. Pointed-arched east window of 3 stepped cinquefoil- headed lights. 2 north windows; one of 2 conjoined trefoil-headed lights, and one C15, similar to south-west chancel window. North aisle: C13. No plinth. Late C18 or early C19 paired rendered lancets. North porch: gabled. No windows. Pointed-arched hollow-chamfered outer doorway and similar, restored, inner doorway. Bears scratched date 1610. External walls of whole church incorporate a number of consecration crosses, some probably re-set. Interior: structure: nave arcade, removed in mid C19 and replaced by bressumer supported on moulded octagonal post. Stump of plain-chamfered stone arch and high chamfered impost;remain at east end; probably C13, raised in C15. Pointed, lightly-chamfered C13 chancel arch springing from chamfered late C11 or C12 imposts. Plain-chamfered arch between north aisle and chapel, abutting stump of nave arcade and possibly altered in C15. Pointed, plain-chamfered C13 arch between chancel and chapel, rising from ground without imposts. Pointed, unchamfered tower arch with late C11 or C12 nicked and chamfered imposts. Blocked splayed round-headed north window towards base of tower. Blocked round-headed south doorway. 4-centred arched rood-loft doorway to west end of chapel, and similar doorway higher up in east wall of aisle. Roof: crown- post roof to nave; central moulded octagonal crown-post on cambered moulded tie-beam with braced pendant posts, sous-laces, ashlar-pieces to south and formerly to north, moulded cornice to south. East and west crown-posts removed. Common rafter roof to north aisle, with collars, sous-laces; ashlar-pieces and moulded cornice to north, and formerly to south. Similar, but later, roof to north chapel. Moulded octagonal medieval crown-post to chancel, on moulded tie-beam; rest restored in C19. Fixtures and fittings: trefoil-headed stoup with broach stops and ring-moulded front to bowl, to east end of south wall of chancel. Consecration crosses, some probably C19. Stained glass: fragments of medieval glass to tracery of south-west window of chancel. East window of north chapel, Transfiguration, by Gibbs, to memory of George Paine, d. 1858, and Mary, d. 1863. Monuments: tomb recess to north wall of-north aisle with chamfered segmental head. Monument to Ralph Heyman, d. 1601, and wife Anne, under moulded 4-centred arch with hoodmould between chancel and north chapel; alabaster chest on stone plinth with chamfered black marble lid, each face with raised rectangular panel flanked by plain pilasters with heraldic shields. Alabaster figure of man kneeling at foot of chest, (formerly upon chest). Heraldic shields on opposed walls of recess, above tomb chest, that to east with inscription surviving below; apparently to Peter Heyman and Elizabeth Till, parents of Ralph, and to William Norton and Elizabeth Wingfield, parents of Anne. Monument on north wall of north chapel to Thomas Godfrey, d. 1664; alabaster, with oval inscription panel set on raised rectangular ground with shields and cherubs, flanked by Corinthian columns. Moulded consoled plinth with swagged base panel, moulded cornice, and double open-topped segmental pediment with achievements (J. Newman, B.O.E. series, West Kent and the Weald, 1980. The Rev. P. Jaquet (ed) Sellindge and Its Parish Church, 1976). Listing NGR: TR1066937910 (7)

Additional bibliography (8-9)

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

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

<2> MHLG Elham RD Sept 1960 42 No 17/1 (OS Card Reference). SKE47118.

<3> F1 ASP 30-NOV-1962 (OS Card Reference). SKE42358.

<4> Auth 4 is the full text of Auth 2 (OS Card Reference). SKE37419.

<5> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1980 509-10 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37676.

<6> DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 15 May 1986 56-57 (OS Card Reference). SKE40346.

<7> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<8> Field report for monument TR 03 NE 7 - November, 1962 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5080.

<9> Sellindge and Its Parish Church (Ed Jaquet) 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE49437.

Sources and further reading