Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

13th/late 14th century and 15th century, incorporating Norman remains and Roman bricks. The West end of the nave is Norman, the church being extended Eastwards. Plan of west tower, nave, chancel with North vestry and North chapel, and North Porch. The east wall was rebuilt in 1867.Lenham was one of the early minsters founded in Kent before 700.

Monument Types

• MINSTER (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 600 AD? to 700 AD?)
• SCRATCH DIAL (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1100 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 89925212]. St. Mary's Church. [T.U.] (1) The Church of St. Mary, Lenham, has a 13th c. chancel and north chapel with traces of Norman work. The remainder of the building is late 14th c. (2) There are Roman bricks in the south wall of Lenham Church. (3) In normal use. (4) Parish Church of St. Mary, Grade I. 12 c., 13 c., 14 c. and 15 c. east wall dated 1867 on rainwater heads. (5)(6)

There is a description of the stone supporting the tower arch (8)

Description from record TQ 85 SE 242:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
LENHAM TQ 8952 10/132 Church of St. Mary 26.4.68. GV I
Parish Church. C12, C13, C14 and C15; east wall dated 1867 on rainwater heads. Ragstone with plain tiled roofs. West tower, nave, chancel with north vestry to east and north chapel to west, north aisle to nave, north porch. West tower: 3-stage C15 ragstone tower on plinth with angle buttresses, battlemented parapet with gargoyled string below, and north east stair turret, also battlemented. Cusped belfry lights, 3-light west window and moulded west door, all with hoodmoulds. Nave; plinthless, of random flint, south-east corner with tufa and tiles to base and tufa to top. 2 buttresses. Small worn rectangular stone scratch dial, possibly reset, to east of blocked south door. Three 3-light Perpendicular south windows with hoodmoulds, one partly restored. East gable with one cusped and one quatrefoil light above chancel roof. Chancel: also plinthless. West 1/3 of mixed random flint and stone, rest rebuilt or extended in C12 in random flint. 3 buttresses. Restored 3-light Perpendicular window in west 1/3, 2 hoodmoulded lancets and one flat-topped former lancet to rest. Narrow C19 shouldered blocked door in restored flint patch to east of straight-joint, corresponding with 2-centred arched internal door. East wall rebuilt 1867 in knapped flint with stone dressings on plinth. Vestry: C15 on low stone plinth over vault. Large random blocks of ragstone interspersed with flint. Flint gable above a moulded string. Narrow square- headed 2-light Perpendicular east window with hoodmould, and similar window in north wall. North wall buttressed. Chamfered 3-centred arched doorway at west end of north wall. North Chapel: probably Norman. Plinthless, of random flint, with roof higher than vestry but lower than north aisle and nave. Extends further east than straight-joint in south wall of chancel, but has partly blocked round-headed east window visible internally. Large 3-light reticulated north window. North aisle; C15 east bay projecting further north than chapel, of roughly knapped flint with stone dressings on flint and stone plinth. Rood loft stair turret in same materials adjoining at east end, overlapping north chapel. North wall has large 3-light Perpendicular window with hood-mould. Rest of north aisle C14, in same plane, but of coursed ragstone on high stone plinth with 2 reticulated north windows and a similar west window, all with hoodmoulds. Buttresses. North Porch C15, of coursed ragstone on stone plinth. Gable close-studded with moulded bargeboards and central niche. Moulded 4-centred arched outer doorway. King-post roof with hollow-chamfered rafters, moulded cornice and broad moulded ridge-piece. Inner door with moulded semi-circular headed architrave. Interior: Structure: 4-bay north arcade to nave; 3 west bays C14 with octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases, arches with one plain and one hollow chamfer, east bay remodelled in C15 with similar pier with plainer bases and larger arch of 2 hollow chamfers. Chancel arch and arch between north aisle and north chapel also C15, with 2 hollow chamfers and corbelled imposts. 2 -bay C15 arcade to chapel,also with 2 hollow chamfers; central pier with 4 attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases, east and west piers with corbelled imposts for arch set on remains of earlier rectangular piers with roll-mouldings to corners. Tower arch C15. 3 blocked 2-centred arched doors with hollow chamfers, one in south wall of nave, one to west end of north wall of chapel and one half way up east wall of north aisle, the latter two for rood-loft stairs. Door to vestry with 3-centred arched head and moulded jambs. North chapel has round-headed window high up in east wall which is partly blocked by a later 2-light and quatrefoiled window. Narrow blocked window, probably a lancet, in north wall of chancel, visible from vestry. 3 Reticulated windows of north aisle have slender shafts to jambs with bell capitals and bases. Roof: nave roof scissor-braced, with collars, ashlar-pieces and tie-beams. Chancel roof C19. Plain crown-post roof to vestry. Chapel has plain collar-rafter roof with sous-laces and ashlar pieces. East end bay of north aisle has squat moulded King-post on moulded tie-beam with hollow-chamfered rafters and ashlar-pieces. Rest of north aisle plain, with rectangular hollow-chamfered King-posts with broach-stops and 4 upward braces. Fittings: C13 Piscina in large chamfered recess and projecting sedile with shaped arms, moulded capitals and cinquefoil head with hoodmould, both in south wall of chapel. In north chapel, C15 table tomb of Bethersden marble, panels carved with various motifs: C15 octagonal font with panelled steal and moulded base. Largely medieval stalls with moulded misericords and simple poppyheads. Seat in north chapel in similar style with leaf hand-rests dated 1862. Pulpit with back and tester, richly carved with Renaissance motifs. Tester dated 1622, base possibly 1574. Medieval and C19 lectern with linenfold panelling and feet with toes. Iron-bound parish chest, also with carved feet. Much C17 panelling incorporated into nave pews. Heavy ribbed and studded Medieval north door. C18 brass chandelier in chancel. Decoration: Large wall-painting on south wall of nave depicting St. Michael weighing Soules,dated circa 1350 by Professor Tristram. Painting of bishop in west reveal of east lancet in south wall of chancel. Monuments: tablet in west end of south wall of nave with cherub at base and surmounted by broken pediment with vase, to Richard Bead, d. 172(3). Stone set in south-east end of chancel floor,with finely carved shield, to the Hon. John Hamilton Esq., d. 1714. Brass in north-east end of chancel floor, to Robert Thompson, d. 1642. Stone effigy of robed and cushioned priest in open coffin with bar across, inset in north wall of chancel. Traces of paint. Said to represent rector who died 1327. Wall memorial in north wall of chancel, with scroll-work base and painted shield, surmounted by broken segmental pediment containing plinth inset with skull and surmounted by further painted shield, to Henry Thompson, d. 1648. Simple marble wall tablet on north wall of chancel, with cherub to base and escutcheon above, to Dame Alicia Colpeper, d. 1737. (J. Newman: Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 1980 edition). Listing NGR: TQ8991552126 (11)

In 2011 observation of all the stone work detected four main sets of masons' marks. Two triangular marks joined by a line (resembling arrows) on the west door pillar, large W on the vestry door jambs , an axe like mark and a 1( or 7) .
There are also three face carvings like "green men " on various pillars. (9)

Description, photographs and drawings of the 16 misericorde seats. Plain carving of the seats themselves (no decorations) is unusual, the finials are of two designs (drawing of these). They appear to be 13th C. (9)

In 2012 an extension was added to the southern side for new toilet facilities. A blocked doorway in the south wall was reopened to provide access. The doorway may have been created in the medieval period and blocked in the late 18th century. A piece of dressed stone was found during the unblocking work. (10)

<1> OS 6" 1908 (OS Card Reference). SKE48323.

<2> Ministry of Housing & Local Govt Prov List Hollingbourne R.D. Nov 1960 63 no 35/1 (OS Card Reference). SKE47215.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 158 (M V Taylor etc) (OS Card Reference). SKE51070.

<4> F1 ASP 15-Jun-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42124.

<5> DOE (HHR) Boro of Maidstone Kent 14 Dec 1984 66-7 (OS Card Reference). SKE39872.

<6> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald 1980 376-377 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38152.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 85 SE 7 - June, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4453.

<8> Feakes, Lesley, 2004, Marian Stone in St. Mary's Church, Lemham (Unpublished document). SKE13197.

<9> Lenham Archaeological Society, 2011, Discovering Ancient Lenham: Volume 1 Edition 3 (Serial). SKE16752.

<10> Lenham Archaeological Society, 2012, Archaeological Watching Brief at St. Mary’s Church, Lenham: Extension on South side for toilets (Unpublished document). SKE18270.

<11> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading