Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1907. A 12th century parish church which was extended south circa 1200 and in the 15th century. It was restored in 1873 and 1907. It is of flint with a timber framed and weatherboarded tower and plain tiled roofs.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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Description from record TQ 95 NW 4 :
[TQ 9400 5757] St. John's Church [NAT] (1) The Church of the Decollation or Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Doddington, is of Norman origin considerably enlarged in Early English times. (2-3) In normal use. (4) Parish Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Grade I. 12th century, extended south c. 1200 and 15th century, restored 1873 to 4 and 1907 to 8. (For full description see list.) (5) Additional bibliography. (6)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 95 NW DODDINGTON CHURCH LANE (east side)
4/14 Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist 24.1.67 GV I
Parish church. C12, extended south c.1200 and C15, restored 1873 to 4 and 1907 to 8. Flint with timber framed and weatherboarded tower and plain tiled roofs. Nave and south aisle, chancel and south chapel, west tower and south porch. West tower on flint base, with 2 early C20 weatherboarded upper stages, battlemented, with gothick traceried lights. Buttressed south porch with plain chamfered doorway. Cl5 Perpendicular and C14 'Y' tracery windows in nave and aisle, with 3 lancets in south chapel south wall and 2 large eastern lancets. Chancel east wall with 3 small lancets with one over. Nave North wall with blocked north door repaired brick buttressing. Exposed tufa quoins and blocked arches in chancel north wall possibly to a lost chapel and tower. Interior: at the west end of the nave, blocked chamfered west doorway, west window and part blocked rere-arch of C12 window. Three bay arcade on chamfered arches on square piers. Crown post roofs in nave and aisle. Chancel arch with drip mould arch over on moulded square imposts with attached clustered shafts, with rings and acanthus crockets, the right hand pier with squints to chancel and south chapel. Arch from south aisle to south chapel simple chamfered arch on square imposts. Chancel with 2 bay arcade to chapel, slightly chamfered on round piers with square, moulded abaci. Round headed rere-arches to chancel east windows. C15 rere-arch to north-west window of chancel taken to floor level, blocking earlier lancet, to enclose stone reading desk and aumbry, perhaps a confessional. South chapel, the lancet reveals with drips and double moulded surrounds with attached shafts, carried on string course. South east respond brought to floor level to enclose doorway. Fittings: Chancel with round headed pisina, cusped aumbry C15 bench with half-poppy heads used as sedilia, with C15 screen to chapel or 22 lights, the end coved to form a canopy over the sedilia; C15 wooden reading desk with poppy heads. Octagonal jacobean pulpit, C15 octagonal font with C17 wood cone cover. Boxpews survive in nave and south chapel, with raised and fielded panelling. Wall paintings, in chancel on lancet responds large C13 figures. Some fragmentary C13 glass. Monuments: South chapel with medieval slabs on floor incised with Latin crosses, 1 with brass inscription to Francis Bourne, d.1615. Wall monument to George Swift, d.1732, of white marble, with grooved Doric pilasters, cornice, with enriched frieze and broken pediment clasping vase. Small black plaque on wall behind pulpit to John Adye, d.1612, with scrolled base and cornice with achievement over. (see B.O.E. Kent II, 1983. 285-6). chest tomb . Dated 1756. Stone with marble top, the chest with raised rectangular panels with chamfered corners, and rectangular vases at corners, on double plinth. Inscribed to Edward Bentham, d.1756. Listing NGR: TQ9397857546 (8)

Historic england archive material: BF061514 ST JOHN THE BAPTISTS CHURCH, DODDINGTON File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

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

<2> Churches of Kent vol 1 19 13 133 (F Grayling) (OS Card Reference). SKE38994.

<3> Kent 1935 151 (J C Cox) (OS Card Reference). SKE45670.

<4> F1 ASP 07-Jul-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41982.

<5> DOE (HHR) Boro of Swale Kent 21 3 85 8 (OS Card Reference). SKE39888.

<6> The Buildings of England 1969 North East and East Kent 273 (N Pevsner and J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50173.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 95 NW 4 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4810.

<8> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading