Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1067 to 1870 St. Peter's Church. Grade B. Chancel, nave with north aisle, south porch and west tower with round turret at its south east angle containing a vice staircase. Some Norman ws. in the nave but the bdg. is largely C.13 restored in the C.19. The tower is C.15 and the south porch is also a timber-framed addition of the C.15. The north aisle was added in the C.19.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:

TR 24 SW SWINGFIELD THE STREET (north side)
5/195 Church of St. Peter 29.12.66 GV I
Parish church. C13, possibly with late Cll or C12 origins, and C15. Restored 1870. Knapped flint with stone dressings. Plain tile roofs. West tower, nave, slightly narrower chancel, north aisle to nave. West tower: late C15. Three stages, on chamfered stone plinth. Diagonal north-west and south-west buttresses. Plain parapet above a moulded string. Pyramidal slate roof with weathervane. Belfry windows of two pointed-arched lights and sexfoil. No other openings to north or south. Small rectangular brick west window towards top of lowest stage, with stone west lancet, with hoodmould, under it. Low hollow-chamfered pointed-arched west doorway in shallow hollow-chamfered rectangular recess. Circular south-east stair turret, taller than tower, with plain parapet and slit lights. Nave: south elevation: two buttresses. Untraceried straight-headed C15 window with two cinquefoil-headed lights and hoodmould, towards west end. Straight- headed window with two trefoil-headed lights to east of porch, and tall plain-chamfered pointed lancet. Two stone corbels under eaves. South porch: C14 or C15. Vertical boarding to gable. Probable evidence for durns to outer doorway. Roof with chamfered rectangular crown posts. Pointed- arched C13 inner doorway of two orders, the inner with rounded edges, the outer plain-chamfered, below a moulded impost. Roll moulding to outer order above impost, and scroll-moulded hoodmould. Two scratch dials. Chancel: C13. Roughly-coursed knapped flint almost chequered with blocks of stone. Diagonal north-east and south-east buttresses. Two plain-chamfered pointed south lancets, and two to north. Three stepped individual east lancets with oculus window above. North aisle: 1870. Lean-to roof. Four pointed north lancets. Very small round-headed east window of late Cll or C12 appearance Similar west window but with stone head channelled to represent arch and voussoirs. Interior: structure: four-bay C19 north arcade to nave, in a C13 or C14 style, with doubly plain-chamfered pointed arches and alternating circular and octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. C19 doubly plain-chamfered chancel arch, dying into walls. Tall, pointed C13 tower arch, plain-chamfered, with broach stops. Four-centred-arched chamfered doorway with broach stops, to tower stairs. Roof: crown-post roof to nave, with five slender moulded octagonal crown posts, ashlar pieces, and scissor braces trenched past collars, and past each other above. At each end, crown post is raised on a low secondary collar, with ogee braces between the collar and tie-beam. Scissor braces a relatively unusual survival in this area. Collared common rafter roof to chancel with sous-laces, ashlar-pieces and five tie-beams. Fittings: aumbry with broad, chamfered pointed arch towards east end of south wall of chancel. Larger, similar, unchamfered aumbry towards east end of north wall. Octagonal font with chamfered base. floor. Monuments: three large black stone tablets to nave floor. One to Mr Stephen Pilcher, d.1755, with roundel and achievements. Another similar, to Martha Pilcher, d.1750. One to John Simons, d.1677, with incised arms in spreading foliage. (J. Newman, North-east and East Kent, 1983 edn.)
Listing NGR: TR2246042965
(7)

Description from record TR 24 SW 2:
[TR 23274342] St. Peter's Church (NAT) (1) 11/1 Church of St Peter. Grade B. Chancel, nave with north aisle, south porch and west tower with round turret at its south east angle containing a vice staircase. Some Norman ws. in the nave but the bdg. is largely C.13 restored in the C.19. The tower is C.15 and the south porch is also a timber-framed addition of the C.15. The north aisle was added in the C.19. (2) St. Peter's Church. Norman and later. (3) Additional bibliography. (4) Listed Grade I. (5)

In 2011 Canterbury Archaeological Trust carried out a watching brief in the churchyard. This afforded an opportunity to record features within the church, the fabric of the building and its phasing. (8)

Historic englnad archive material: BF083027 ST PETERS CHURCH, THE STREET, SWINGFIELD

English Heritage, 2011, Church of St Peter, Swingfield, Kent: Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers (Unpublished document). SKE17252.

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

<2> MHLG Sept 1960 53 (OS Card Reference). SKE47173.

<3> F1 FGA 24.04.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42972.

<4> Bldgs of Eng NE and E Kent 1983 473 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37824.

<5> Field report for monument TR 24 SW 2 - April, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5705.

<6> DNH List 17-Oct-1988 (OS Card Reference). SKE39776.

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

<8> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2012, An archaeological watching brief at St Peter and St Paul's Church, The Street, Swingfield (Unpublished document). SKE18152.

Sources and further reading