Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1400 to 1499. Church. Rebuilt 1431-2 after the previous church fell into ruin. Pevsner suggests that the 2-light Decorated windows at the W end are reused. Chancel roof repaired after fire damage of 1922. Said to have been designed by William Nudds, a Cistercian monk of Boxley and built by lay brothers from Boxley Abbey. One major Perpendicular building campaign. Kent ragstone rubble with knapped flint merlons to the embattled parapets and chequered flint and stone parapet to the tower; buttresses with knapped flint panels; lead roof. West tower with west porch, nave, chancel, north and south aisles; north porch; north east organ chamber; south east chapel; north vestry.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1400 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 97 SE 8:
[TQ 9883 7143] Ch [NR] (1) Eastchurch, a perpendicular styled church, built about 1432 on a fresh site, has been seriously injured by fire. (2) In November 1431 a King's Licence (a) was obtained, to give 3 roods of land, for the site of a new church at Eastchurch. The site of the old church [TQ 97 SE 13], which had gone to ruin, is no longer known. The new church was built in 1432, probably incorporating some windows of the old one. It was built on solid chalk foundations laid in the London clay and was heavily buttressed. It contained a nave and chancel (each with two aisles), a western tower and three porches, and is dedicated to All Saints. [Illustrations in the article show a sketch of the church in 1850 and of the E. end interior in 1880.] (3) [Full architectural description] The feature of All Saints, Eastchurch, is the Perpendicular screen extending across the whole width of the church, 11 bays in all. (4) The Church is in regular use for divine worship. GP/AO/59/220/8 from S.E. (5) Checked and correct. (6) Church of All Saints, Grade B. Built in 1431-2 by the monks of Boxley Abbey. 15th century roof and rood screen. (For full description see list.) (7) The Church of All Saints is of ragstone with flint battlements. It has plenty of buttresses but unambitious windows. The Decorated Gothic style windows at the west ends of the aisles and the inner west doorway are from the earlier church. Recent restoration includes the renewal of some south windows and the south porch arch. (8) additional bibliography (9-11)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
HIGH STREET 1. 5282 (North Side) Eastchurch, Sheerness Church of All Saints TQ 97 SE 13/130 27.6.63.
GV 2. Ragstone, with flint battlements and flint panels in the buttresses. Built in 1431-2 by the monks of Boxley Abbey, but incorporating some Decorated windows from an earlier church. West tower with chequered battlements and diagonal buttresses. Chancel with north and south chapels, nave with north and south aisles and porches. C15 roof and rood screen. C17 Belgian woodwork from Ypres in the Lady Chapel and under the tower. Mid C17 pulpit. Early C18 brass chandeliers.
Listing NGR: TQ9912171409

AMENDED 17/10/2007

EASTCHURCH

933/13/130 HIGH STREET
27-JUN-1963 (North side)
CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

GV I
Church. Rebuilt 1431-2 after the previous church fell into ruin. Pevsner suggests that the 2-light Decorated windows at the W end are reused. Chancel roof repaired after fire damage of 1922. Said to have been designed by William Nudds, a Cistercian monk of Boxley and built by lay brothers from Boxley Abbey. One major Perpendicular building campaign. MATERIALS: Kent ragstone rubble with knapped flint merlons to the embattled parapets and chequered flint and stone parapet to the tower; buttresses with knapped flint panels; lead roof. PLAN: West tower with west porch, nave, chancel, north and south aisles; north porch; north east organ chamber; south east chapel; north vestry.

EXTERIOR: Grand externally with deep battlemented parapets throughout above a moulded stringcourse. Diagonal buttresses to aisles, chancel and tower. Aisle windows mostly 2-light with shallow segmental heads and cusped lights, stonework much renewed; similar 5-light east window. Decorated style 2-light windows at west end of north aisle with quatrefoils in the heads. The porch is similar to the medieval north vestry. Shallow embattled west porch with a medieval west doorway. 3-stage west tower with 2-light medieval windows matching those of the aisles. North east porch with renewed Clipsham stone outer doorway.

INTERIOR: Porch has late medieval roof. Arcades with octagonal piers with concave sides, moulded capitals and arches. Wide chancel arch to match. Handsome shallow pitched C15 nave roof, an unusual design for Kent, with moulded tie beams with short curved braces springing from carved timber angel corbels holding shields. The roof is divided into large panels by moulded ribs with carved bosses and half bosses at the intersections and central bosses of very large winged angels holding shields. The chancel roof is similar, with 3 bays: the post 1922 repair is difficult to identify from the ground. Aisle roofs are similar but plainer, the braces on plain stone corbels. Double-chamfered tower arch on moulded corbels. Tower was intended to be stone vaulted and preserves the corbels and first courses of vaults in the corners. 11-bay chancel screen, the full width of nave and aisles with wide bays flanking the central entrance. The screen has lost its rood loft and has been extensively repaired. No reredos. North and south hagioscopes (squints) to chancel. South east chapel lined with unusually lavish Jacobean 2-tier panelling: similar panelling in the tower. The panelling originated from the former Cathedral of St Martin at Ypres.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Choir stalls with elaborately-shaped ends and poppyhead finials. Square-headed bench ends with recessed panels to nave benches. Plain octagonal stone font on moulded stem and base. Early C17 timber drum pulpit on a probably later bracketed stem, the sides of the drum decorated with strapwork and field panels. Two George II brass candelabra.
Monuments include, on the south side of the chancel a fine alabaster chest tomb with effigies commemorating Sir Gabriel Livesay, d.1622 and his second wife, Anne. An African's head is incorporated into the design. Marble monument on the north wall of the chancel to Vice Admiral Sir Richard King who captained HMS Achilles at the Battle of Trafalgar. Several late C19 stained glass windows. 1912 window by Karl Parsons Charles Stewart Rolls (of Rolls Royce) and Cecil Stanley Grace who died in a flying accident in 1910.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The church is an outstanding example of a Perpendicular church, built largely in one phase in 1431-2. It has six medieval roofs, the nave and chancel of unusual design for Kent. Fittings of interest include a rood screen and monuments.

Sources.
Pevsner, North East and East Kent, 1983, 303-304
www.fsearle.freeserve.co.uk/Allsaints_history.html (12)

Historic England archive material (13-14)

<1> OS 6" 1931-38 (OS Card Reference). SKE48328.

<2> Ant J 2 1922 263 (notes) (OS Card Reference). SKE33153.

<3> Pat Roll 9 Henry VI pt 2 no 4 (OS Card Reference). SKE48497.

<4> Arch Cant 14 1882 374-384 The Church of All Saints Eastchurch in Sheppey (Canon Scott Robertson) ill (OS Card Reference). SKE34718.

<5> A Saunter through Kent 28 1934 64-71 (C Igglesden) (Sketch 68) (OS Card Reference). SKE32891.

<6> F1 ASP 13-AUG-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42080.

<7> F2 CFW 13-AUG-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE43231.

<8> DOE (HHR) Sheppey RD Kent Oct 1960 2 (OS Card Reference). SKE40612.

<9> The Buildings of England NE and E Kent 1983 303-4 (J Newman ed N Pevsner) (OS Card Reference). SKE50176.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 97 SE 8 - August, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5005.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 97 SE 8 - August, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5006.

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

<13> ALL SAINTS CHURCH, EASTCHURCH - FROM SOUTH EAST. (Photograph). SKE1432.

<14> Historic England, Archive material associated with All Saints Church, Eastchurch, Listed Building (Archive). SKE54392.

Sources and further reading