Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Sisters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem had a house at Swingfield until c. 1180 when the Knights Hospitallers established a preceptory which was dissolved in 1540. The 13th c. chapel at St. John's Farm is the only remaining building. It was converted into a dwelling after the Dissolution and altered again more recently.

Traces of walls are visible in dry summers in the ground south and west of the chapel and a few rough stones show above the ground about 35 yards west of the chapel and the ground is very uneven in this direction; from this it seems that the chapel lies to the east of a courtyard formerly containing several buildings and that the gateway was where the present road enters the yard. The cemetery lay to the north-east of the chapel.

St. John's Commandery was taken into the care of the DOE in 1978.

It preserves a fine moulded plaster ceiling and a remarkable medieval timber roof. The Commandery is open to the public, but with access for pre-arranged parties only.

Monument Types

• SISTERS OF ST JOHN NUNNERY (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD? to 2050 AD?)
• HOSPITALLERS PRECEPTORY (HOSPITALLERS PRECEPTORY, Medieval to Modern - 1180 AD? to 2050 AD)
• HOUSE (HOUSE, Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TR 23234401] St John's Chapel [NR] (1)

The Sisters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem had a house at Swingfield until c. 1180 when the Knights Hospitallers established a preceptory which was dissolved in 1540. The 13th c. chapel at St. John's Farm is the only remaining building. It was converted into a dwelling after the Dissolution and altered again more recently (Full architectural description in (4).

Traces of walls are visible in dry summers in the ground south and west of the chapel and a few rough stones show above the ground about 35 yards west of the chapel and the ground is very uneven in this direction; from this it seems that the chapel lies to the east of a courtyard formerly containing several buildings and that the gateway was where the present road enters the yard. The cemetery lay to the north-east of the chapel. (2-4)

The chapel remains are as described; it is no longer occupied as a dwelling house and is in a very poor state of repair. The "rough stones" are no longer visible. See G.P. A.O./64/142/3 (5)

(TR 23234401) St John's Chapel (NR) remains of (NAT) (6)

Dugdale (7a) states that Swingfield was of the Knights Templars prior to the Knights Hospitallers, but this is wrong. (7)

St. John's Commandery was taken into the care of the DOE in 1978. (8)

It preserves a fine moulded plaster ceiling and a remarkable medieval timber roof. The Commandery is open to the public, but with access for pre-arranged parties only. (It is evident from the photograph in Authy 8 that the chapel has now been restored and is in a very good state of repair). Additional bibliography. (10-12)

TR 24 SW SWINGFIELD -

5/189 St. John's Commandery(formerly listed as St John's Farmhouse II*

Commandery, or Preceptory, of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, latterly a farmhouse, now an English Heritage monument. C13 and C16 with C18 and C19 alterations, restored 1972-4. Flint, (knapped in places) and mixed flint and stone, with stone quoins and dressings. West gable end tile-hung on both floors. North elevation retains areas of render painted and scored to resemble red brick in Flemish bond. Plain tile roof. Chapel, formerly with domestic ranges adjoining to west, which may have encroached into west end of extant building, and which were removed in mid C19. Porch to present west end of north elevation. Chapel floored in C16 and later. Floors removed in 1970's, except at west end. Battered plinth to east half of south elevation. Roof gabled to east, hipped to west, with crested ridge tiles. Multiflue brick ridge stack towards west end. West end: mid-C19 sashes. South elevation: wall formerly continued further to west, but was subsequently truncated, forming a two- storey buttress. Buttress towards centre of elevation also formed from a truncated wall. Stone string about half way up wall, to west of buttress and terminating before west end. Battered plinth to east of buttress. Irregular fenestration of 3 windows; one plain- chamfered pointed first-floor lancet above string, just west of stack, one tall, broad pointed-arched window breaking storeys to east of central buttress, and taller, narrower plain-chamfered lancet towards east end. Blocked first-floor doorway with brick dressings, to west end. Half architrave of a pointed-arched stone ground-floor doorway at west end of west "buttress". Blocked doorway with cambered head and brick dressings to west end of ground floor. Rectangular doorway with boarded door immediately west of central buttress. East end: three single, plain-chamfered pointed lancets, stepped in height, with three oculi above them. North elevation: three tall chamfered mid-C19 lancets. North porch: possibly C14. 2 storeys. Extends a few feet further west than present west end of building. "Buttress" to south end of west elevation, formed from truncated wall formerly running west. Roof with higher eaves and lower ridge than main range, hipped to north. One single-light rectangular chamfered stone east window to first floor, blocked window to north and casement window to west. Pointed-arched hollow-chamfered outer doorway with incised cross. Unribbed quadripartite vaulted ceiling springing from moulded stone corbels. Moulded pointed-arched inner doorway with ribbed and studded door. Interior: at east end, outer lancets double-shafted, inner lancet triple-shafted, with bell capitals and bases. Roll-and-fillet hoodmould to each lancet. Continuous moulded string to cills. Part of jamb of blocked C13 lancet to east of central north lancet. Blocked rere-arch to window to north of stack, and another to south. Plain corbel half way up wall between east and central lancets on south side. Moulded corbel to east of north-east lancet. Rebated plain-chamfered pointed-arched aumbry towards east end of north wall. Broader chamfered recess with cambered head and bar stops towards south end of east wall. C13 moulded and shafted pointed-arched piscina with roll-and-fillet hoodmould towards east end of south wall. Consecration cross towards centre on south side. Blocked plain-chamfered ground-floor doorway with cambered head and bar stops, towards west end. Plain-chamfered, pointed-arched first- floor doorway to room over porch. Roof: crown-post roof to east of stack; three formerly hollow-chamfered tie-beams, each with moulded octagonal crown post. Morticed collars, sous-laces and ashlar- pieces. East end of collar purlin terminates in (blocked) central oculus. Later roof to west of stack. C16 ceiling with moulded cross beam and joists to ground-floor room to west of stack. To east, only the part of the floor adjacent to stack has been retained, with plain-chamfered beams. First-floor ceiling to west of stack has chamfered cross beam,tenoned axial beams, moulded joists to north- east end, plain joists to rest. Blocked fireplace with bressumer, to each side of stack on ground floor, iron grate to west side on first floor, and brick fireplace with wooden bressumer, infilled with smaller semi-circular brick fireplace, to east side. Cellar, possibly C16 or later under east end of chapel, with wall niches and re-used beams and joists. Site occupied by Sisters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem before 1180. Knights Hospitallers took over when Sisters transferred to Buckland. (L.R.A. Grove and S.E. Rigold, "The View and State of the Commandery of Swingfield, 1529", in F. Hall (ed.), A Kentish Miscellany, 1979. J. Newman, Buildings of England Series, North-east and East Kent, 1983 edn.). Listing NGR: TR2322844015 (15)

Historic england archive material (16)

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

<2> Md Relig Houses, Eng and Wales 1953 230 247 (Knowles and Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46712.

<3> MHLG Elham RD Kent Sept 1960 53 (OS Card Reference). SKE47116.

<4> Kent Records 11 1930 59-67 illust (C Cotton) (OS Card Reference). SKE45941.

<5> F1 FGA 24.04.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42972.

<6> OS 1:10000 1977 (OS Card Reference). SKE48162.

<7> Monastican Anglicanum (Dugdale) 1846 (Ed J Caley et al) (OS Card Reference). SKE47318.

<8> Md Relig Houses 1971 284 301 307 (D Knowles and RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46702.

<9> Anc Mons Board for Eng 25th Ann Rep 1978 13-14 photo (OS Card Reference). SKE33048.

<10> English Heritage (Ed Reed) 1987 206 (Lord Montagu) (OS Card Reference). SKE41611.

<11> Bldgs of Eng: NE and E Kent 1983 473 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38103.

<12> VCH Kent 2 1926 (Ed W Page) 176 (RC Fowler) (OS Card Reference). SKE50937.

<13> Arch Cant 22 1897 260-4 figs (JF Wadmore) (OS Card Reference). SKE34840.

<14> Field report for monument TR 24 SW 1 - April, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5704.

<15> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<16> Historic England, Archive material associated with St John's Commandery, Swingfid, Listed Building (Archive). SKE54811.

Sources and further reading