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Monument details

HER Number:TR 36 NE 2241
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1062 to 1932 St Lawrence'S Church


Grid Reference:TR 37031 65321
Map Sheet:TR36NE
Parish:RAMSGATE, THANET, KENT

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Modern - 1062 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (I) 1336662: CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE

Full description

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Description from record TR 36 NE 30:
[TR 37036531] Ch. (NAT) (1) The Church of St. Lawrence, Ramsgate, has a Norman tower and the remainder is 14th/15 c. (2) In normal use. (3) Church of St. Lawrence, High Street. Grade A. The original parent church of Ramsgate. It has three aisle to nave and choir, transepts and tower in the centre. Tower Norman, remainder 14th century - 15th century. (4) St Lawrence. A Norman church with a crossing tower. The roofs of redtile are distinctly longer and higher towards the east than towards the west. Gabled aisles to the nave and the chancel, completely absorbing the Norman transepts. All windows renewed at various times.The west window and the authentic looking geometrical east window weremade in 1858. East window 1902. The Perpendicular south porch and the blocked and mutilated west doorway alone are untouched. The aisled nave and tower were built in the last quarter of the 12th century, the chancel enlarged not long afterwards. Nave of 3 bays, round piers and pointed arches, without any moulding. Square abaci and square scalloped capitals. Externally the tower is of stone and arcaded low down on the south and east sides. It has a second stage with windows, and a flint Perpendicular top. It rests on piers and pointed arches, with square north and south responds and the arches unmoulded, but quite richly moulded east and west arches, the former with an outer row of zig zag on the west side. The responds are semi circular, with side shafts and spurs, and several capitals have late Romanesque foliage, one with tightly rolled crockets. The chancel hadan aisless east bay and two bay chapels. The piers are square, and show flint on the arches (evidence that they pierce an earlier wall?).Pointed, slightly chamfered arches, nook shafts one with upright trefoiled leaves on the capital. A later arch also to the south chapel. 13th century piscina. (5) St Lawrence. There can be no doubt that a smaller church stood on the same site during the 12th century. (6) St Lawrence Church, Isle of Thanet. Tradition assigns the year 1062 as the date of its foundation; and it is even likely that there was anearlier church still upon the site of the present chancel. During 1888, during the restoration of the tower, the foundation of an old wall was discovered running north and south at the west end of the chancel, and the foundations of old walls wre also discovered under the chancel arcades on either side [full description of church follows]. (7) St Lawrence Church, details of tower and the churches connection with Archibishop Lawrence, the successor to St Augustine. (8)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
RAMSGATE HIGH STREET TR 3765 SW ST LAWRENCE (north-west side) 7/192 Church of St Laurence GV I Parish Church, Foundations 1062; late C12; C15; fenestration and restoration C19 and early C20. Flint with plain tiled roof. Nave and aisles, central tower with transepts chancel and side chapels, the whole in effect 3 aisles; south, and south eastern porches. Geometric and Perpendicular style tracery throughout, all of Cll date, the West and East windows 1858. Each plan unit separately roofed. C15 south porch with rendered arch and iron lamp and bracket, with original hollow chamfered rectangular doorway with water stoup adjacent. This doorway, the blocked roll moulded western doorway cut into by the West window are the only early exterior features (down pipes dated 1866 and 1906), apart from the tower, 3 stages, the lower two, C12 with blind arcading on south and east sides, and 2 round headed lancets on each face on all sides on 2nd stage. Battlemented top stage added C15. Interior: 3 bay arcade to nave with round piers, scalloped capitals and simple pointed arches; the mouldings and cutting finer on north arcade. Roof of 2 crown posts, restored Cl9. Aisles with hipped trussed rafter roofs, the south aisle with corbels on nave wall, for earlier roof structure. Simple pointed arch on imposts to south transept, heavy hollow chamfered arch with chamfered surround to north transept. Crossing tower with round piers with recessed hook shafts and spurs, with round arches with roll and wave mouldings on scalloped and voluted capitals. Simple double rebated arches to transepts, with string course carried over whole composition. Four grinning demonic heads are included in the capitals. Transepts with trussed rafter roofs on corbels, that to north transept restored, and C19 double chamfered arches to chancel chapels. Chancel originally with unaisled eastern bay (with jambs of blocked lancet), with arches to chapels, of stone dressed flint, 2 bays north and south with stop chamfers, hook shafts and trefoiled leaves on capitals. Further C13 arch to south chancel. C15 wooden wagon ceiling with moulded beams and Tudor flower bosses. Most of the planking has been unfortunately removed. South chapel with string course to north wall and original roof of 4 crown posts. Large double doors to south western porch. North chapel, restored, with separate vestry with exposed jambs of C12 north door to chancel. Fittings: rebated trecusped piscina in chancel, moulded trecusped piscina with ogee shaped hood on head stops in south chanel, aumbrey in north chapel. Remnants of C15 screen to vestry, of 3 panels. C19 reredos, reading desks, stalls, lecturn, pews and south chapel screens, C19 Gothic pulpit with open fretwork and statues incorporating reader and C18 hourglass stand. C20 font and rood cross. Glass circa 1866 and East window of 1902. Brasses. Nicholas Manston, d.1444, brass of man in armour 34 inches long; Joan St. Nicholas, d.1493, 28 inch brass of lady, both reset on wall of south chapel. Monuments; chancel; fine group of marble floor Plaques, specially to Sprackling family; south chapel: Adam Spencer, d.1745, veined white marble wall plaque, with segmentally shaped head and cornice with urn finial and scrolled sides, with scrolled apron below: Captain Martin Long, d.1751, large white wall monument with scrolled bolection moulded plaque with 2 cherubs and deaths heads to apron, with segmental pediment and arms cartouche. Margaret Read, d.1753, white Rococo marble wall plaque; with Chinese style swagged pediment shaped top with scrolled and enriched sides to plaque and swagged apron and lively enriched bracket: Henrietta Elizabeth Froude, d.1879. Half-relief of a woman. She was the wife of James Anthony Froude, the great C19 historian; north chapel: Robert Brooke, d.1667, white and black marble wall plaque with cartouche apron with enriched scrolled sides to pedimented top with blocks brought forward with arms cartouche. Reverend Cuthbert Boucher, erected 1788. Oval wall plaque: nave: several early C19 Neo-Classical wall plaques, the best to John, Earl of Dunmore, d.1809, scalloped with draped sides. Gothick recess in western wall to Thomas Noel Hay, d. 1861; north aisle, Catherine Talman, 1731, with segmental pediment and cherub, and Alexander Bryner, 1822, signed H. Cull; half relief sarcophagus and urn; north transept. William Rogerson, d.1782, painted Arms and gadrooned urn on apron with cherub's head and obelisk background; south aisle: Mary Gibson, d.1785, neat plaque, wreathed Arms and festooned plaque on Rococco scrolled base; south transept: small illegible C17 plaque with painted ribband sheaths and shields on sides, enriched swagged base and crested Arms with coronet. Segmental pediment plaque in south porch to Robert(illegible)early C18. Eleven hatchments throughout church, Charity board in south porch, and large Royal Coat of Arms in south aisle dated 1729. (See B.O.E. Kent II, 1983, 420-421).
Listing NGR: TR3703165322 (13)

Historic England archive material: OP29129 View of St Laurence's Church, Ramsgate, from the south-west This print was received by the National Buildings Record on 7th September 1942.
OP29130 View of St Laurence's Church, Ramsgate, from the south-west This print was received by the National Buildings Record in 1941.


<1> OS 6" 1962 (OS Card Reference). SKE48371.

<2> M.H.L.G. (1535/11/A, Jan. 1948). 5 (OS Card Reference). SKE46242.

<3> F1 CFW 08-OCT-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42485.

<4> M.H.L.G. (HB1535/274/2B, Jan. 1968). 8 (OS Card Reference). SKE46256.

<5> B.O.E. North East and East Kent 1983, 420-421 (J. Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37450.

<6> Arch. Cant. 12, 1878, 365, 369 (OS Card Reference). SKE36970.

<7> Arch. Cant. 24, 1900, 253-266 (Chas. Cotton) (OS Card Reference). SKE36988.

<8> J.B.A.A. 45, 1899, 203-4 (OS Card Reference). SKE44832.

<9> Arch. J. 2, 1846, 83 (OS Card Reference). SKE37149.

<10> Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988, Record No 34 (OS Card Reference). SKE44736.

<11> DOE (HHR) Dist. of Thanet 1988, 79-80 (OS Card Reference). SKE40453.

<12> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 30 - October, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6170.

<13> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1962.
<2>OS Card Reference: M.H.L.G. (1535/11/A, Jan. 1948). 5.
<3>OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 08-OCT-63.
<4>OS Card Reference: M.H.L.G. (HB1535/274/2B, Jan. 1968). 8.
<5>OS Card Reference: B.O.E. North East and East Kent 1983, 420-421 (J. Newman).
<6>OS Card Reference: Arch. Cant. 12, 1878, 365, 369.
<7>OS Card Reference: Arch. Cant. 24, 1900, 253-266 (Chas. Cotton).
<8>OS Card Reference: J.B.A.A. 45, 1899, 203-4.
<9>OS Card Reference: Arch. J. 2, 1846, 83.
<10>OS Card Reference: Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988, Record No 34.
<11>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) Dist. of Thanet 1988, 79-80.
<12>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TR 36 NE 30 - October, 1963.
<13>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #35195 Church, ]