Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1862 to 1912

Summary from record TQ 53 NW 14 :

Church of All Saints': listed building

Monument Types

• PARISH CHURCH (PARISH CHURCH, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SITE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1862 AD to 1912 AD)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 53 NW SPELDHURST THE GREEN (south side),LANGTON GREEN 7/493 Church of All Saints
GV II*
Parish church. Built 1862-63 on a small plot of land on The Green donated by Charles Powell of Hollonds. According to Newman the architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott. According to the church notes in 1889 the original small vestry was demolished and the present organ chamber was built in its place. At the same time the north aisle was built and dormer windows put through the nave roof on that side, new vestry (present south transept) was built giving the church a cruciform plan. Then in 1902 the east end was extended to include the present sanctuary, the south aisle was added and the vestry thrown into the church. Present vestry built in 1912. The church notes report that the south aisle was built from designs by John Oldrid Scott. Newman reckons that it was all part of the original scheme. Certainly the style is consistent. Built of coursed sandstone ashlar rusticated with chisel marks; peg-tile roof.
Plan: Nave with north and south aisles, north and south transepts (former is the organ loft), and lower chancel. Vestry is parallel to the chancel attached to the north transept. Bellcote over the east end of the nave. South porch.
Exterior: Consistent Early English style. The windows are lancet set singly or in series of 2 or 3 with chamfered reveal and hoodmoulds with label stops carved as stiffleaf foliage. Most of the lancets on the south aisle have cusped heads. West end has 2 gables which (like all the others) have stone coping and fleuree apex crosses. West end of the nave has 2 tall lancets with a vestica window above. Nave section defined by buttresses. Lean-to north aisle to left has a pair of lancet and gabled end of south aisle has a taller pair with cinquefoil heads. Angle buttresses on corners. South porch at west end of south side of aisle. It is tall and steeply gabled with low clasping buttresses. Outer arch is 2-centred with moulded surround, shafts on outside and imposts tapering to stiffleaf corbels. South door behind a 2-centred arch with moulded surround and hoodmould and contains double plank door with ornate strap hinges. 3 triple lancets to right. South transept has double lancets and the one on the east side has a gable over. On the chancel the buttresses rise past the eaves with gabled tops. Here single and double lancets have moulded reveals and trefoil heads. East window large 5-light window of lancets rising higher towards the centre. North aisle has lean-to roof and here windows more vernacular in style. There are timber gabled windows, 3 lights with trefoil heads. Gables are shingled and have cusped bargeboards. Nave dormer windows are also timber with gabled roofs.
Interior: Nave has open common rafter roof, scissor-braced with ashlar posts. South aisle has 4-bay roof of tie-beam trusses with octagonal crown posts. North aisle has common rafter lean-to roof. Chancel roof similar to nave except for the sanctuary which has a boarded ceilure. 4-bay arcades to the nave of low octagonal piers with moulded capitals including friezes of nailhead ornament, and hoodmoulds with label stops carved as human heads. Double arch from south aisle to transept with central twin octagonal piers. Plainer arch to north transept/organ loft. Ornate chancel arch is a richly moulded tall 2-centred arch on clustered shafts, the outer ones with moulded caps the inner ones on raised shafts on corbels carved as angels. Another full height stone arch between chancel and sanctuary. Most windows have plain rere arches but those in chancel have shafts and the east window rere arch is moulded. Floor of red and black tiles with encaustic tiles in the baptistry and marble used in the chancel. Bare sandstone walls.
Fittings and Furniture: Large and highly ornamental Decorated style reredos of carved coloured marble with mosaic decoration and features the Supper at Emmaus. Flanked each side by sandstone blind arcades carved with foliage in the spandrels. Gothic-style piscina and sedilia to south. Sanctuary lined with wainscotting dated 1935. Altar table is C19 with its sides carved with Gothic tracery including the Sacred Monogram in a cusped roundel. (The chapel in the south transept has a less elaborate version.) Ornate oak Gothic-style stalls with poppyhead finials, arcades along the frontals and bench ends (they date from 1912). Semi octagonal pulpit built into the masonry of the church. Its panels are carved with quatrefoils containing Sacred Emblems on a Gothic diaper ground. Front corner has marble shaft with stiffleaf capital supporting the bible rest. Plain pine benches. Good alabaster and coloured marble font. Square bowl has sides carved, one side representing the return of the dove to Noah's ark. Font cover dated 1901 complete with pulley chain and counterweight.
Memorials: Few and of no more than local interest.
Glass: Is excellent and high quality including some important early work by Morris and Co. to designs by Rosetti, Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown besides Morris himself. Others by Clayton and Bell and Kempe. East window is an excellent product of the Kempe workshop featuring the Tree of Jesse. Glass is described in more detail in sources.
Sources. Some Notes on the Church, reprinted from the Parish Magazine, December, 1919. Anon but possibly Goodhart-Rendel. This includes much information on the beneficiaries and describes how some of the glass has been moved around. J. Newman. West Kent and the Weald. Penguin Buildings of England Series (1969), p.366.
The Church of All Saints is one of an attractive and varied group of buildings around The Green.
Listing NGR: TQ5435539273

Description from record TQ 53 NW 14 :
(TQ 5418 3917) Ch (NAT). (1) Parish Church, built 1862-63 on a small plot of land on the Green donated by Charles Powell of Hollands. According to the church notes of in 1889, the original small vestry was demolished and the present organ chamber was built in its place. At the same time the north aisle was built. Then in 1902, the east end was extended and the south aisle added. Grade II*. (2)

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

<1> OS 1:10000 1973 (OS Card Reference). SKE48158.

<2> DOE (HHR) District of Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Bidborough et al) 24th Aug 91 476-77 (OS Card Reference). SKE40546.

Sources and further reading