Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Church, now disused, probably 12th century, restored 1905-6 and in later 20th century. It is built from uncoursed flint with ashlar dressings and a tiled roof. It is a two cell church with small round-arched windows in the nave and chancel. To the east there is a much restored round arched window with moulded head, To the south wall of the nave there is a round headed doorway. The church was formerly in the parish of Dode, which was united with Paddlestone in the 14th century.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 02/02/2017

TQ 66 SE 3/233

SNODLAND LUDDESDOWNE WRANGLING LANE (north side) Dode Church (Church of Our Lady of the Meadow)

(Formerly listed as Church of Our Lady of the Meadow, WRANGLING LANE , Dode) 25.8.59

II* Church, now disused. Probably C12, greatly restored 1905-6, and in later C20. Uncoursed flint with ashlar dressings. Tiled roof. Two-cell church. Small single-light round-arched windows in nave and chancel. Round-arched window in east end with moulded head, much restored.

Interior not inspected at time of resurvey.

Dode parish was united with Paddlestone in the C14.

Disused at time of resurvey.

Listing NGR: TQ6945962535 (11)

Description from record TQ 66 SE 19 :
[TQ 66856372] Dowde's Church [NAT] (1) Dode; otherwise Dodwice, Dowde or Dowdes; Church, is Norman and was mentioned in 1115. It was united to nearby Paddlesworth in 1367 and was a complete ruin in 1905, when it was bought by Arnold who restored it to its former condition, except that a tiled roof replaced the former thatched one. In 1954, Miss Irene Arnold presented Dode Church and the surrounding ground to the R.C. Church; it was rededicated to "Our Lady of the Meadows". The original patronal saint is not known. (2-3) The church is kept locked but it is still in use for occasional public worship. (4) 23/3 II Dode Church The parish of Dode was united with Paddlesworth in the 14th century and the small Norman church fell into decay. It was restored in 1905. Nave and chancel. One window is possibly original. Not in ecclesiastical use. Reference Paddlesworth-cum-Dode, by G.M. Arnold. (5) In a remote valley, the disused church of Dode. Norman nave and straight-ended chancel, of coursed flints, greatly restored in 1905- 6. In fact not a single dressed stone had remained.(6) History of parish and description of church. (7) Listed Grade II*. (8)

Work was carried out at the site by the Lower Medway Archaeological Research Group (LMARG) before the adjacent retreat cottages were built, sometime in the early 1990s. A resistivity survey was carried out but with inconclusive results. In 1993 trenches were opened around the church by LMARG. A deep well is apparently located in the southeast corner of the car park. In 2010 three trenches were opened by the Maidstone Area Archaeological Group. Two were focused on the south wall of the chancel and the third was located to the west. These exposed the foundations of the church wall. The trench to the west found a flint metalled trackway, possibly contemporary with the 1905 renovation of the site. (10)

<1> OS 6" 1909 (OS Card Reference). SKE48324.

<2> Dode in Kent 1905 (illust) (G M Arnold) (OS Card Reference). SKE39788.

<3> Dode Church (Anon) Pamphlet (OS Card Reference). SKE39787.

<4> F1 CFW 19-AUG-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42647.

<5> DOE (HHR) Malling RD Kent 1950 93 (OS Card Reference). SKE40600.

<6> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1980 385 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37884.

<7> Arch Cant 21 1896 260-7 (GM Livett) (OS Card Reference). SKE34837.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 66 SE 19 - August, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3567.

<9> DNH List Feb-1987 (OS Card Reference). SKE39781.

<10> Maidstone Area Archaeological Group, Fieldwork at Dode Church, Snodland Parish, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE18159.

<11> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading

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