Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Well Chapel was founded before 1300. Repairs were carried out in 1535, but it was ruinous c.1550.

Monument Types

• CHAPEL (CHAPEL, Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 1901 AD)

Full description

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[TR 20015645] Well Chapel [NR] (Remains of) (1) Well Chapel was founded before 1300. Repairs were carried out in 1535, but it was ruinous c.1550. The building stands on low ground close to the head springs of the Little Stour. It measures 18.0m by 7.0m externally and is orientated nearly E-W. The walls of flint rubble with ragstone dressings, average 0.7m in width and stand to maximum height of 5.0m. (GP: AO/64/122/5). In a doorway on the south side there is a stoup. The building is completely overgrown and ruinous. (2)

Now cleared of vegitation

From the National Heritage List for England:

The Chapel of Ease of a decayed hamlet. A ruined single cell with little dateable detail left. The N wall may be early, but the rest, with a well marked plinth is probably 14th century.

Approx 30' x 15'. Flint with stone quoins and window embrasures. Much fallen stone in interior. Cavity of robbed piscina in S wall. Ruins stand to height of 15ft; some original plaster remains.

Originally the chapel of the manor house (Well Court) which stood nearby and under jurisdiction of parish of Littlebourne. Later passed to parish of Ickham with which always associated. After dissolution used for agricultural storage and a weavers workshop but fell into ruin; print in Hasted shows it much as it is today.

Little survives of architectural detail, there are large gaps where the windows were but a part of the piscina does survive in the S wall. There is also evidence of wall plaster on the internal S and W walls. The plinth remains along the external S wall, at the W end and for a short distance along the N wall. Outside to the NE and SW are piles of overgrown flint building rubble. (8)

<1> OS 25" 1956 (OS Card Reference). SKE48271.

<2> Arch Cant 29 1911 240 (A Hussey) (OS Card Reference). SKE34948.

<3> Testamenta Cantiana 1906 177 (A Hussey) (OS Card Reference). SKE49837.

<4> History of Kent 9 1800 175 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44137.

<5> Notes in Wickham Ch (OS Card Reference). SKE47687.

<6> F1 ASP 06.JUL.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE41955.

<7> Field report for monument TR 25 NW 3 - July, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5725.

<8> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading