Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Originally 13th century Nave arcade, tower arch and chancel arch survive. Piers of old North arcade buried in 15th century wall. One has been revealed and shows original painted patterns. 14th century chancel and aisle. Battlemented tower of 3 stages begun early 16th century but not completed until 1862, by Charles Bailey. Some outer walls also rebuilt. 17th century pulpit. Wood and wrought iron 19th century screen.

Summary from record TQ 54 NW 139:

Grade B listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1862

Monument Types

• BURIAL (BURIAL, Medieval - 1200 AD to 1539 AD)
• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1200 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Listing Text:

LEIGH

771/19/705 HILDENBOROUGH ROAD
10-SEP-1954 LEIGH
(West side)
CHURCH OF ST MARY

GV II*

Church. C13 tower arch, south arcade of the nave, chancel arch and surviving east bay of north arcade, C14 arcade to south chancel aisle and C15 lowest stage of west tower. Restored 1860-1, unusually by two architects; Charles Baily completed the tower and most of the walls but George Devey constructed a turret to the chancel. Between 1889 and 1892 the chancel was remodelled by GF Bodley. Bodley's small north vestry was replaced by parish rooms of 1995 by Neil Macfadyen RIBA. Built in a mixture of sandstone and freestone with tiled roofs.

PLAN: Three bay nave with lower three bay chancel, west tower, south porch and south turret to south aisle of chancel. The Parish Rooms replaced the north vestry.

EXTERIOR: The west tower is of four stages, the lowest of sandstone, the upper stages of freestone. There are diagonal buttresses, an octagonal south turret, crenellated parapet and moulded band with gargoyles. The west side has a Perpendicular west door with hood moulding and spandrels with quatrefoil and blank shield. There is a triple window with cinquefoil heads to the second stage, paired similar window to the top stage and four centred arched window to the third stage. The south aisle has two arched windows with cinquefoil heads and a gabled south porch with cusped bargeboards and timberframed structure. The north side of the nave has two arched windows with cinquefoil heads divided by buttresses and single bay north aisle with gable and paired trefoil headed window. The south side of the chancel has two lancet windows divided by buttresses and single north bay with gable and paired trefoil headed window. The south side of the chancel has two lancet windows divided by buttresses and an octagonal turret with trefoil-headed entrance. There is a lancet window to the east end. The north side of the chancel now has two-storey gabled parish rooms. The chancel is gabled with a tall paired lancet window with roundel above.

INTERIOR: The west tower has a C13 tower arch and 1893 wooden screen re-sited from its original position between the nave and the chancel. There is an octagonal Perpendicular font with bowls panelled with quatrefoil motifs containing alternate floral motifs and grotesque masks. The lower part of the turret has a C15 stone spiral staircase. Above is a C19 bell frame with four exposed woooden corner posts. There are five bells, variously of 1636, 1640 and 1731, recast in 1871, and a sixth of 1931. The west window has C19 stained glass depicting the Nativity. The nave has a C13 south arcade with circular columns and arches with two chamfers. The east bay of the south aisle has a stained glass window to the memory of Edward Gower of Ensfield depicting sowing, reaping and ploughing. One pier of the C13 north arcade is half buried in the wall with original red stencilling. The nave roof is C19, of crownpost type with four head braces and two purlins. To the east of the north aisle pier is a re-sited C16 brass of circa 1580 with open coffin and angel blowing a trumpet or trombone. The Hine memorial window of circa 1915 unusually depicts St Joan, St Patrick and St George and is by AK Nicholson of Gower Street. The C17 wooden pulpit incorporates an hourglass stand, dated 1597. The pews are C19. The north aisle window has a top light with C14 stained glass depicting the Virgin and Child but the remainder is C19. The chancel arch is C13 and identical to the tower arch. There is a C14 arcade to the chancel and a piscina. The south aisle of the chancel contains a circa 1879 pipe organ by Hill and Son. The chancel roof is a C19 barrel vaulted wooden roof. The north wall has wall monuments including the circa 1717 monument to Abraham Harrison of Hall Place, a cartouche with drapery and the head of a putto at the bottom. There are ledger stones including ones to the Carte family and a brass to Thomas Chanu, soldier-at-arms (d. 1407) in the Sanctuary. The alabaster reredos and linenfold panelling were installed by Bodley and there are a series of contemporary stained glass windows including the east window in memory of the Countess of Albemarle (d. 1892) depicting the Coronation of the Virgin and the Blessed in Heaven.

HISTORY: The present church on the site dates from the C13 and from this period the tower arch, south arcade of the nave and the chancel arch survive, together with the surviving east bay of the north aisle, the remainder of which was destroyed by fire in the reign of Henry VII. There is a C14 arcade to the south chancel aisle. The west tower was commenced in the C15, and a bequest of 1525 was for the "bildying of a new stepyll" but only nine feet of the tower was built and a timber belfry was erected on these walls, shown in an engraving of 1797. The church was reconstructed in 1860-1. At that time the chancel was the responsibility of the Lay Rector, Lord de Lisle of Penshurst Place, and the parish was responsible for the rest of the building. As a result two architects were used and they used different types of stone. Lord de Lisle employed George Devey and the parish employed Charles Baily, who was a cousin of Thomas Farmer Baily, the owner of Hall Place. Charles Baily completed the tower and rebuilt most of the walls. George Devey constructed a turret with a door giving access to the pews of the Lay Rector in the chancel aisle. At the same time the west gallery was removed, old pews were replaced by open seats and a new organ installed. Between 1889 and 1892 the chancel was refurnished by George Frederick Bodley who installed the screen, linenfold panelling, choir stalls and alabaster reredos. In 1995 a small north vestry was replaced by two-storey parish rooms, a bequest from Miss Winifred Genner, designed by Neil Macfadyen RIBA.

SOURCES:
John Newman "Buildings of England. West Kent and the Weald". (1980) Ps 374-5.
"St Mary's Church, Leigh" church booklet(2002).
"Oxford Dictionary of National Biography." Entries for Charles Baily, George Devey and George Frederick Bodley. The church is mentioned in Baily's entry.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
St Mary's Church, Leigh, is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* The church retains a significant proportion of medieval fabric;
* The C19 restoration includes work by three major Victorian architects. It was one of Baily's major commissions and part of Devey's major commissions for Penshurst Place and Hall Place;
* Noteworthy fittings include a C15 font, C17 pulpit and late C19 alabaster reredos, joinery and stained glass;
* Monuments include small C15 and C16 brasses, C18 wall monuments and ledger stones;
* The church reflects a historic pattern of patronage because the different materials for the chancel turret and the rest of the church resulted from the separate ownership of the nave and chancel;
* It forms part of a group of listed buildings in Leigh village.
(10)



From the previous record:

[TQ 5487 4661] St Mary's Church (NAT) (1) Leigh Church is mainly 13th c. with a modern tower. (2) Church of St Mary, Leigh. (3) In normal use. (4) 1. 5280 LEIGH LEIGH Hildenborough Road (West Side) Church of St Mary TQ 5446 19/705 10.9.54. Listed Grade B GV 2. Nave and chancel with south aisles, projecting rood stair turret and south porch; West tower and one bay of North aisle. Coursed rubble with freestone dressings, except for coursed freestone turret and South chancel aisle. Stepped buttresses, those at east end and to tower diagonal. Originally C13. Nave arcade, tower arch and chancel arch survive. Piers of old North arcade buried in C15 wall. One has been revealed and shows original painted patterns. C14 chancel and aisle. Battlemented tower of 3 stages begun early C16 but not completed until 1862, by Charles Bailey. Some outer walls also rebuilt. C17 pulpit. Wood and wrought iron C19 screen recalls design of Hall Place gates. (5) East Lodge, the Lodge and gateway to Hall Place, the wall and Lych Gate to the Church, and the Church of St Mary form a group. St Mary, Leigh. Of the 13th century building the south arcade of the nave, the tower arch and the chancel arch survive. All but the east bay of a north aisle of the same date was pulled down in the 15th century. 14th century arcade to a south chancel chapel. A bequest of money in 1525 was to be used to build the tower, but work was not done until 1862, when Charles Bailey completed the tower and rebuilt most of the walls. (6) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (7) A watching brief was undertaken on the site by CAT. 1995, in advance of building work at angle between chancel and N aisle. Trenches revealed burials, only 1 wholly within the trench but no evidence of earlier structures. Subsequent burials were removed without an arch. presence. (9)

Description from record TQ 54 NW 139:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
LEIGH LEIGH 1. 5280 Hildenborough Road (West Side) Church of St Mary TQ 5446 19/705 l0.9,54. B GV 2. Nave and chancel with south aisles, projecting rood stair turret and south porch; West tower and one bay of North aisle. Coursed rubble with freestone dressings, except for coursed freestone turret and South chancel aisle. Stepped buttresses, those at east end and to tower diagonal. Originally C13. Nave arcade, tower arch and chancel arch survive. Piers of old North arcade buried in Cl5 wall. One has been revealed and£shows original painted patterns. Cl4 chancel and aisle. Battlemented tower of 3 stages begun early C16 but not completed until 1862, by Charles Bailey. Some outer walls also rebuilt. C17 pulpit. Wood and wrought iron Cl9 screen recalls design of Hall Place gates.
East Lodge, the Lodge and gateway to Hall Place, the wall and Lych Gate to the Church, and the Church of St Mary form a group.
Listing NGR: TQ5487346618

<1> OS 6" 1937-8 (OS Card Reference). SKE48348.

<2> Arch J 62, 1905, p.188 (OS Card Reference). SKE36514.

<3> Kent 1935 p.204 (J C Cox) (OS Card Reference). SKE45700.

<4> F1 ASP 21-DEC-62 (OS Card Reference). SKE42218.

<5> DOE(HHR) Dist of Sevenoaks Kent RD Sevenoaks Jan 1975 180 (OS Card Reference). SKE41010.

<6> Bldgs of Eng W Kent and the Weald 1980 374-375 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37997.

<7> St Mary's Ch Leigh 1966 (Bartlett PA) (OS Card Reference). SKE49638.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 54 NW 3 - December, 1962 (Bibliographic reference). SKE2720.

<9> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, St. Mary's Church, Leigh. Watching brief, CAT. 1995. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<9> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1995, St. Mary's Church, Leigh, Tonbridge, St. Mary's Church, Leigh. Watching brief, CAT. 1995. (Unpublished document). SKE16733.

<10> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading