Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Medieval church predating the present structure of St Michael and All Angels, Kingsnorth

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1375 AD?)

Full description

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Monitoring during groundworks around the N, W, and S exterior faces of St Michael and All Angels, Kingsnorth during installation of surface water drains found two earlier phases of church.

The initial pre-Norman church (TR 03 NW 104) was replaced by a larger church sometime in the medieval period. Little can be siad about this church except that its footprint almost certainly followed the nave and chancel of the present church, with its fabric forming the foundations and lower courses of the current building. To the south of the chancel a length of wall was found which probably represents a sacristry, with a door linking it to the chancel. This could be one of the earlier examples of a puropse-built sacristy, as it certainly pre-dates the later 14th century when the current church was built (though no dating evidence for this phase of church was found). Two further sections of walling to the south of the nave could relate to this church. On wall running N-S may represent the western wall of the church, while another running E-W could represent the wall of a southern aisle. (As aisles were more often constructed on the north side of the nave before the south, a north aisle may exist under the present nave.) This church was rebuilt to form the current church (TR 03 NW 66) in the late 14th century. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2010, Archaeological and historical investigations forming the final phase of works associated with the refurbishment of St Michael and All Angels Church, Church Hill, Kingsnorth (Unpublished document). SKE16600.

Sources and further reading