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Monument details

HER Number:TR 15 NE 25
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:St Mary's Church, Fordwich

Summary

St Mary's Church, AS, medieval and later. Saxon church with Norman and 12th century additions. Saxon work is present in the nave and tower. The chancel and the north aisle are 12th century. During the following century the chancel was extended and the west tower was built. In the 14th century the windows in the south wall of the church were inserted. Unrestored. The south porch is a timber-framed structure. Closed in 1995 and invested in the Redundant Churces Fund. In the north aisle is a large block of limestone know as the Fordwich Stone standing about 5.5 feet (1.7 m) high, carved to give the appearance of a tomb. It dates from about 1100, and is considered to be the former shrine of a saint, and possibly even formed part of the shrined# of St Augustine.


Grid Reference:TR 1810 5982
Map Sheet:TR15NE
Parish:FORDWICH, CANTERBURY, KENT

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (CHURCH, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 600 AD to 1000 AD)
  • SHRINE (CHURCH, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1154 AD)
  • CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1154 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (I) 1063709: CHURCH OF ST MARY

Full description

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[TR 18105983] Church [NAT] (1) Church of St. Mary, Fordwich. There is some Saxon work in the nave and tower but they are mainly Norman. The chancel and north aisle are12th c. (2) In normal use. (3) Church of St Mary, King Street, Fordwich. Grade I. Some Saxon work in the nave and the tower, but mainly Norman with later windows. The chancel and the north aisle are C12. Unrestored. (4) [For full description see list]. Additional bibliography. (5)

By the late Anglo-Saxon period, Fordwich had become an important small port for Canterbury at the tidal limit of the river Great Stour. It was perhaps formally created a borougly (parvus burgus in Domes Day Book) by Edward the Confessor in c. 1055 when he gave two-thirds of the town to St. Augustine's Abbey. They received the other third from Odo of Bayeux a decade or so after the conquest, and it is perhaps at this time that the first church was built.

The earliest evidence of date from the fabric of the church are in the quoins at the eastern end of the nave. On the north-east are large 'long and short' blocks of Quarr stone (from the Isle of Wight) as well as local Tertiary sandstone. Similar quoins can be seen behind the later buttress on the south-east side of the nave. Though no other architectural details survive, it seems very likely that the shell of the nave and western part of the chancel were built as a new church in the late 11th century.

The north aisle must have been added in the late 12th century. Three very plain pointed arches on rectangular piers with only simple chamfered abaci were used to give access to the north aisle, and a round-headed window at the west end of the north aisle must also be of this date, as is the window on the north side of the aisle at the east end. This has an external round head of Reigate stone, though all the other original quoins and jambs of this phase are in Caen.

The simple square Purbeck marble bowl of the font (with simple blank-arcading on its sides) is also probably of the mid-to late 12th century.

In the early 13th century the chancel was enlarged to the east, and this still contains lancets on either side. Externally these are heavily restored in cement (? covering Reigate stone).

The tower was added in the later 13th century, and this has been built at a strange angle to, and off centre from the west end of the nave. It has an exceptionally tall tower arch with high up abaci. There is only one window in the whole of the tower, and that is a tall wide lancet (with rere-arch) in the west wall. The upper chamber of the tower is windowless, and on top is a fine broached, shingle-covered spire (the internal frame is perhaps of the early 14th century). There is an earlier slightly steeper-pitched roof-line in the east face of the tower above the present nave roof.

Because of the strange way the tower was added to the nave odd buttresses were added to the west end of the nave, that on the south is a large clasping affair (see plan).

Early in the 14th century five fine two-light windows with a pair of quatre-foils above under square hood-moulds were inserted in the walls (3 in the nave south wall and 2 in the north aisle). *ef. windows in S.E. Mildred's Canterbury). The buttresses on the north and south sides as well as a new south doorway were also added at this time. The original east window as shown (with chamfered plinths) in Petrie's 1801 view is also 14th century. The crown-post roof over the nave may also be of this date, or a little later.

The perpendicular chancel arch is probably of the later 15th century, and the sawn-off ends of the rood beam can still be seen just above the moulded capitals. The painted board (tympanum) with the Royal Arms and W.R. 1688 that once filled the chancel arch has been put on the wall above the arch.

The inserted two-light windows on either side of the west end of the chancel must also be later 15th century. A will of 1474 gives stained glass for the southern window. The timber-framed south porch (with unusual dragon-ties) is also perhaps 15th century, but with later repairs and brick casing and underbuilding.

Wills also tell us that the east end of the north aisle (the area around the altar of St. Katherine) was being rebuilt in the late 15th and very early 16th century. The area over the altar was "ceiled in" in 1493 and a new east window was made in 1503. This window is a 3 - light one with a flat four-centred arch over it. In the gable above is early English - bond red brickwork (perhaps contemporary). The whole of the simple rafter and collar roof of the north aisle may be of the same date.

The church still contains most of its box pews of c. 1800 (with some reused decorative panelling). There was a plan to reseat the church in 1852, but this was never carried out. The two pews at the west end of the chancel were, however, inserted in the late 19th century. The 'singers pew' is in the south-west corner of the nave, and the vestry is at the east end of the north aisle, with the organ under the arch to the south. The east end of the chancel was rebuilt in the 19th century, and the east window was only given simple y - tracery. A four-centred doorway with heavy knapped flint around it was also put into the south side of the tower at this time, but it clearly fills an earlier (? 13th century) opening. (6)

Description from record TR 15 NE 919:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5273 FORDWICH KING STREET (north side)
Church of St Mary TR 1859 27/223 30.1.67.
I GV
2. Chancel, nave with north aisle. South porch and west tower with broached shingled spire. Some Saxon work in the nave and the tower, but mainly Norman with later windows. The chancel and the north aisle are C12. Unrestored. The south porch is a timber-framed structure. Knapped flint, render and tiles. Bo pews and other C18 fittings to interior. Rare Norman tomb monument. Gravestones with carved skulls to churchyard.
Listing NGR: TR1810559832 (7)

Description from record TR 15 NE 367 :
Church constructed of flints, render and tiles. The nave and tower contain some Saxon work but are mainly Norman with later windows. The chancel and north aisle are C12.


<1> F1 ASP 05-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE41940.

<6> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1992, Church Report - St. Marys Church, Fordwich. (Unpublished document). SKE7562.

<7> 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: F1 ASP 05-FEB-65.
<6>Unpublished document: Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown). 1992. Church Report - St. Marys Church, Fordwich..
<7>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #43386 Church, ]