Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The standing and buried remains of the original medieval Church of All Saints, Murston, and its surrounding churchyard, situated on the eastern bank of Milton Creek.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (CHURCH, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1375 AD to 1873 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 9208 6477] All Saints' Church [NR] (Remains of) [NAT] (1) When the Church of All Saints, Marston, was removed in 1873, a portion of the chancel, in transition, Norman style, was left to serve as a mortuary chapel. (2)(3) All Saint's Church is as described above. It ceased to be used as a mortuary chapel in 1910. A yearly service was held until about 1950. The building now awaits restoration. (4) [TQ 9208 6477] Church [NR] (Remains of) [NAT] (5) Muston Old Church - All Saints, scheduled. (6) [TQ 921 648] The steadily decaying remains of the original Church of All Saints at Murston were recorded by the Sittingbourne and Swale Archaeological Research Group (c. 1977). Although not listed in the Domesday Survey, the church is mentioned in 1291 (a) and in 1578 it served 42 communicants. Hasted (b) describes it as "a large building of three aisles and three chancels, having a square tower with a wooden turret in which there are three bells". An impression of how the church stood in 1803 is given in two engravings (see Illustration Card). The predominant style was transitional Norman with two sets of two pillars on each side of the nave. In 1873 the church was almost entirely demolished leaving only a fragment of the central chancel or south chapel to serve as a mortuary. Photographs taken of the building prior to the demolition are in the Kent Archaeological Society Library, Maidstone Museum. Several pieces, including a brass of 1488, the pillars, the screen and some corbels were removed to the new church which was built nearer to the London-Canterbury road. The surviving flint-built fragment is in an advanced state of decay (see Illustration Card) but the perpendicular style east window and west doorway are still to be seen, as is a small window in the south wall. On completion of this project, renovation of the structure commenced under the direction of the Kent Archaeological Society in association with the Swale and North Downs Society and the Friends of Friendless Churches, with the intention that the building be used as a Scout Hall. (7) Murston Old Church was saved for use as a mortuary chapel. Perpendicular east window and west doorway. Traces of a blocked north aisle. So it must have been the south chapel of the church, not the chancel. (8)

From the National Heritage List for England:
Details
The monument includes the standing and buried remains of the original medieval Church of All Saints, Murston, and its surrounding churchyard, situated on the eastern bank of Milton Creek.

The standing remains are a west-east aligned, rectangular building measuring 9m by 7m, which originally formed the southern chapel of the church. The chapel, which was built so as to adjoin the earlier, but now demolished, chancel, can be dated by its architectural details to the period between c.1375-1550. The chapel walls are constructed of roughly knapped, coursed flint interspersed with ragstone, with ragstone dressings. Access to the chapel is provided by a drop-arched doorway in the western wall, above which is a small, cinquefoil-headed window. A similar window is situated near the centre of the southern wall. The eastern wall, the exterior of which is rendered with cement, is pierced by a partially restored, four-light, perpendicular window, with cinquefoil heads beneath a four-centred arch. The chancel was entered by way of a now blocked opening in the northern chapel wall. The chapel floor is paved with reused tombstones originally situated in the surrounding churchyard. The timber roof, which has been comprehensively restored, is of crown post construction, capped with clay tiles.

The remainder of the church survives in buried form, immediately to the north of the chapel, within the churchyard. The churchyard, which is a level, lawned area now bounded by a brick wall dating to the 19th century, with some modern repairs, also contains several tombstones. Many more, now unmarked, burials will survive within its bounds, representing the local population between the 13th and 19th centuries.

The church at Murston is known to have been in existence by 1291, and is recorded to have served 42 communicants in 1578. In 1797, the church was described by Hasted, the Kent historian, as `a large building of three aisles and three chancels (sic), having a square tower with a wooden turret in which there are three bells'. In 1873, a new church was built c.800m to the south west, in a more convenient location close to the London to Canterbury road, and most of the original medieval church was demolished, leaving only the south chapel to serve as a mortuary. Several architectural fragments, including aisle pillars, corbels, the screen and a commemorative brass of 1488 were removed from the demolished medieval church and reused in the new church at this time.

Reasons for Designation
Parish churches are buildings, usually of roughly rectangular outline, containing a range of furnishings and fittings appropriate to their use for Christian worship. They occur in all parts of England but, because of their congregational function, their overall distribution is in broad accord with the areas of higher population density. Thus, agriculturally rich and well populated areas in the 10th-13th centuries, tend to contain the highest number of churches. Despite disturbance caused by partial demolition and modern vandalism, Murston Old Church contains architectural features which illustrate Gothic design and building techniques, and archaeological remains relating to its use from the 13th century onwards. Owing to its abandonment in the 19th century, buried deposits within the church and churchyard will have suffered little subsequent disturbance with the result that burials and associated remains will survive representing the local population over a period of up to 600 years. The association of this church with the later, Victorian parish church c.800m to the south west, illustrates the 18th and 19th century practice of relocating churches so as to improve convenience of access for their users. (13)

Photographs (14-21)

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

<2> Kent 1935 228 (J C Cox) (OS Card Reference). SKE45678.

<3> Churches of Kent 2 1913 50 illust (F C Grayling) (OS Card Reference). SKE38990.

<4> Information - Rev A Luman 27 Fox Hill Bapchild (OS Card Reference). SKE44458.

<5> F1 ASP 19-AUG-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42178.

<6> OS 1:10000 1980 (OS Card Reference). SKE48166.

<7> DOE (IAM) AMs Record form 22 May 1975 (OS Card Reference). SKE40705.

<8> Notes on the churches in the Counties of Kent Sussex and Surrey 1852 (J Russell Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE47701.

<9> Hist of Topographical Survey of the County of Kent VI 1797 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44050.

<10> Kent Arch Review 51 Spring 1978 15-20 plan illusts (R Baxter R H Rees and E M Grisdale) (OS Card Reference). SKE45856.

<11> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 399 (J Newman ed N Pevsner) (OS Card Reference). SKE50199.

<12> Field report for monument TQ 96 SW 7 - August, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4934.

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

<14> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11306.

<15> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11306.

<16> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11305.

<17> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11304.

<18> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11303.

<19> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11304.

<20> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11305.

<21> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11303.

Sources and further reading