Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1899. Church comprising a 13th century chancel, 14th century nave and a 15th century west tower. The original east and south windows of the chancel are blocked up, the nave arcades and nearly all the large windows are decorated. A restoration took place in 1862. The church is constructed of flint and ragstone with plain tile roof. Newington was one of the early minsters founded in Kent before 700. The Domesday Monachorum records that Newington had 7 dependent churches.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1200 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

Description from record TQ 86 NE 21:
[TQ 86226535] St Mary's Church [NAT] (1) St Mary's Church consists of a chancel with south chaple, nave with aisles, south porch and a fine 15th c west tower. The chancel is early English with the original E and S windows blocked up. The nave arcades are decorated and so, too, are nearly all the large windows. A niche in the porch is turned in Roman tiles. (2) Additional references. (3-5) In normal use. (6) Church of St Mary, Grade I. Parish church. 13th c chancel, 14th c nave, 15th c tower, restored 1862. (7) (For full descriptive text, see list) St Mary's Church, Newington has a fine, characteristically Kentish tower. In height it answers the long, even nave with aisles under their own gables, and chancel and south aisle running on to the east without losing height. The vestry on the north side of the chancel was called a tower by Hasted (a), who says it rose as high as the chancel roof. The interior is a fine sight, open and airy with exceptionally wide aisles. The earliest part of the building is the chancel, which may date from c.1200. The south chapel was enlarged later, but still in the 13th century. (8)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 86 NE NEWINGTON CHURCH LANE (north side)
2/23 Church of St. Mary 24.1.67 GV I
Parish church. C13 chancel, C14 nave, C15 tower, restored 1862. Flint, with banded knapped flint and squared ragstone in tower, with plain tiled roofs. Nave with separately roofed aisles and south porch, chancel and south chapel, truncated north east tower and west tower. Four-stage offset diagonal buttresses to tower, with 2 string courses, battlements and south-west octagonal stair turret. C19 west door in reset doorway, c. 1300, with attached shafts, double roll-moulded surround and hollow chamfered hood mould. West window C15 of 3 lights and 6 over, with single lights to 2nd and 3rd stages and 2-light belfry opening. South aisle with corner buttresses, battlements. Restored early C14 reticulated windows and lean-to porch with roll moulded and hollow chamfered doorway. South chapel plastered, without battlements, with restored string -course and C19 curvilinear windows, buttressed and with corner buttresses at east end. East end basically C19, with string course, corner buttresses, south east window of 3 lights and 3 roses over, with blocked C18 keyed brick arched doorway. East window C19 3 light and Y-traceried. North east chapel, now vestry, the base of C13 tower, with restored lancets, one with Roman tile surrounds North aisle C14 roughly coursed flint with 3 offset buttresses, three 2 light windows with quatrefoils over and plain chamfered north doorway. Interior: tall tower arch, roll moulded and hollow chamfer on attached octagonal-capped shafts, with double hollow- chamfered surround. Four bay nave arcades to north and south aisles, double chamfered arches on octagonal piers. Roof of 4 crown posts in nave with 2 mullioned clerestory lights, roof of 5 crown posts in north aisle, and staggered purlin roof in south aisle. C15 double- chamfered chancel arch. Chancel with rood stair door in south pier, 2 plain arches through to south chapel with central square pier, scalloped, with attached and crocketed shafts, c. 1200. Hollow tomb recess through to south chapel, blocked lancet to south east, remnant of lancet reveal to north, and hollow chamfered and double- roll moulded door to north-east tower (vestry). South chapel roof of early crown post with stiff-leaf carved wall plates and tie- beams. Fittings: square piscina in chancel,ogee-headed piscina in south chapel and cusped piscina by south door. Altar rails of c. 1700. Chandelier, C18, brass, in 2 stages, 8 at top and 12 below. Altar, C17, in south aisle, with reredos of mid C17 linenfold panels separated by balusters and decorated with foliage. South chapel altar with cornice and shield for reredos. Also in south chapel a bench c. 1500, poppyheads with animal carvings. Octagonal font with mid C16 tall fixed octagonal cover, foliated baluster columns, strap work, but Perpendicular crown. Two panels hinged to allow access to font. Mid C16 parish chest, massive timbers, strapped bands and double lock. Many floor tiles survive. Monuments: in south chapel, shrine to St. Robert le Bouser, large slab of marble on arcade of 4 deep, trefoiled recessed, erected c. 1350 by Lesnes Abbey, patrons of the church. Also in the south chapel wall monument to Joseph Hasted d. 1732, grandfather of the Kent Historian who died from chill caught at his grandchild's christening. Grey marble sarcophagus on black obelisk, with large rounded base. In the chancel, wall monument, Sir John Brook d. 1594. Kneeling armoured figure at lectern in coffered alcove with architectural surrounds, Corinthian capitals, coved frieze with fruit, cornice, achievement in scrolled panel and pediment. Brasses: William Monde(17½ in) and John Sayer (8½ in) 1483 in north aisle; Anne,d. 1580, widow of Sir John Norton and also Sir John Brook (viz. monument in chancel) and 2 sons (17 in). Francis Holbrook, d. 1581 (18 in) with his 2 wives and 13 children. Mary Brook d. 1600 (17 in),inscription. Wall paintings: over entire north aisle and also in tomb recess in south aisle, adated c. 1340 (Tristram). Sub- jects include Last Judgement, the Nativity, with Saints Andrew, John,Paul, Peter and Margaret in window splays. (See BOE Kent II 1983 401-2, and Kent Life, 1975, article by H.R. Pratt Boorman.) Listing NGR: TQ8592964844 (11)

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

Diocese of Rochester (Hugh Richmond), 2001, Newington, St Mary the Virgin: Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29448.

Archaeology South - East, 2011, An archaeological evaluation at St Mary's Church, Church Lane, Newington, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE54244.

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

<2> Little Guide-Kent 1935 230 (JC Cox) (OS Card Reference). SKE46138.

<3> Churches of Kent 1877 6-7 (SR Glynne) (OS Card Reference). SKE38985.

<4> Woolwich Dist Ant Soc 16 1910 55-64 (GW Hewett) (OS Card Reference). SKE51398.

<5> Arch J 26 1869 158-65 (J Hewett) (OS Card Reference). SKE36605.

<6> F1 CFW 09-JUL-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42496.

<7> DOE(HHR)Swale Boro Kent 27-11-84 56-7 (OS Card Reference). SKE41403.

<8> Hist and Topo Surv of the County of Kent 1797-1801 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43776.

<9> Bldgs of Eng NE and E Kent 1983 401-2 (J Newman Ed N Pevsner) (OS Card Reference). SKE37813.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 86 NE 21 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4540.

Sources and further reading