Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1066 to 1891 C15th church & tower - lumps of Roman concrete were found in the foundations during the church's rebuilding in the 19th century.

Monument Types

• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 84 SW 1 :
[TQ 81324094] St Mary's Church [NAT] (1) Frittenden church was rebuilt in the 19th century with the exception of the 15th century tower. (2) Lumps of Roman concrete were discovered in the foundations of the old church during rebuilding. (3) St. Mary's Church (dedication on notices) is at present used for divine worship. (4) Checked and correct. (5) Listed Grade II*. (6)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
FRITTENDEN THE STREET TQ 8040-8140 (north west side)
14/54 Church of St Mary 20.6.67 GV II* Parish church. 1846-8 by R C Hussey, incorporating base of C15 tower; extended and restored 1861 and 1881. Wealden sandstone with Caen stone dressings and plain tiled roof. Chancel with south chapel, nave with aisles, north and south porches northern vestry and western tower. Three stage tower, the lower 2 stages at least C15, with offset corner buttresses and basement to recessed stone spire with enriched lucarnes. North-western angle vice. Stone clock face in north elevation. C15 west window with C19 Perpendicular style western door- way. The rest of the building is entirely C19, a rebuilding of the medieval church, with Decorated style fenestration with segmental heads and reticulated tracery to nave, cusped-tracery and pointed arched heads with hood moulds to chapel, and split cusp and "Geometric tracery to chancel. North-western vestry with cusped bargeboard to projecting gable. Interior: tall, narrow C15 tower arch with double eave moulded surround and round responds with octagonal capi- tals. Blank traceried surround to west doorway with thin attached shafts to west window over embattled and quatrefoiled frieze, all C19. three bay south arcade, with pointed horse-shoe shaped arches. Two bay north arcade, with finer moulding and normal pointed arches (north aisle added 1861). Octagonal press and responds and double chamfered arches to both arcades. Embattled wall plate and moulded corbels to boarded waggon roof to nave; pierced queen post roof on corbels to south aisle, with braced rafter roof to north aisle, with string course and hood moulds to window reveals and doors to porch and vestry. Chancel and south chapel arches of same pattern as nave south arcade. Two bay arcade from chancel to south chapel, with trussed rafter roof to chancel, boarded roof to chapel. Fittings: good survival of original C19 fittings: painted stone surround to east window, creating a triptch effect with texts in the flanking panels. C19 choir stalls, half-height screen with quartrefoil frieze and spiked rail. Trelobed piscina on north wall, tiled sanctuary and black and white tiled chancel, carved wooden alter. Benches and box pews in nave and aisles with integral brass candleholders. Brass lecturn and wooden pulpit on stone base; octagonal font with 2 tier wooden cover and iron and brass font crane. Early C19 geometric glass throughout, with later C19 glass in the east windows, especially chancel east window, to Rev Edward Moore, 1891 by W Bucknall and J N Comper. Incised and painted texts and inscriptions over various doorways and arches, that over south porch recording that the church was restored and enlarged by Reverend Edward and Lady Harriet Moore, 1847. Moore was patron as well as vicar of the church and village, and many houses and facilities in the parish are due to him. (See Igglesden 16, 1923). Listing NGR: TQ8131840953 (9)

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

<2> Arch Cant 9 (1874) lxxxix to xci (OS Card Reference). SKE35994.

<3> Arch J 5 (1848) 35 (RC Hussey) (OS Card Reference). SKE36642.

<4> F1 ASP 8.12.61 (OS Card Reference). SKE42368.

<5> F2 CFW 15.1.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43241.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 84 SW 1 - December, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4382.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 84 SW 1 - January, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4383.

<8> DNH List 22-Jun-1989 p.24 (OS Card Reference). SKE39778.

<9> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading