tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63221802540548689792024-03-05T16:59:09.723+00:00A PHOTOGRAPHIC PILGRIMAGEKent's Medieval ChurchesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-58831845320014930872011-03-05T15:35:00.000+00:002011-03-05T15:35:23.851+00:00BIBLIOGRAPHY<strong>ALAN BIGNELL</strong><br />
The Kent Village Book<br />
Countryside Books, 1986<br />
<br />
<strong>MICHAEL McNAY</strong><br />
Red guide to Kent<br />
Waymark Publications, 1989<br />
<br />
<strong>JAMES ANTONY SIMS</strong><br />
Kent Country Churches (Trilogy)<br />
Meresborough Books, 1986, 1987, 1989<br />
<br />
<strong>J. NEWMAN</strong><br />
The Buildings of England: North Kent and The Weald, and Northeast and East Kent<br />
Penguin Books, 1969<br />
<br />
<strong>THOMAS INGOLDBY</strong><br />
The Ingoldsby Legends<br />
J.M. Dent & sons, 1960<br />
<br />
<strong>H.R. PRATT BOORMAN & V.J. TORR</strong><br />
Kent Churches<br />
Kent Messenger, 1972<br />
<br />
<strong>JOHN E. VIGAR</strong><br />
Kent Churches<br />
Alan Sutton Publishing, 1995<br />
<br />
<strong>WILLIAM WEBB</strong><br />
Kent's Historic Buildings<br />
Robert Hale Ltd., 1977<br />
<br />
<strong>JOHN BETJEMAN</strong><br />
Church Poems<br />
John Murray, 1980<br />
<br />
Parish Churches of Engalnd and Wales<br />
Collins, 1980<br />
<br />
<strong>KEITH SPENCE</strong><br />
The Companion Guide to Kent and Sussex<br />
Collins, 1973Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-78841407715568524822011-03-05T15:18:00.002+00:002011-03-05T15:21:21.499+00:00GLOSSARY<strong>AUMBRY</strong> - A receptacle in the wall, square or rectangular, and used to store the holy oils used in baptism or confirmation. They originally had doors and many medieval hinges still survive.<br />
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<strong>APSE</strong> - Semi-circular or polygonal end of a chancel or a chapel.<br />
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<strong>BUTTRESS - </strong>Brickwork built against a wall to add strength to a structure.<br />
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<strong>CHANCEL</strong> - The part of the east end of a church in which the altar is placed.<br />
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<strong>CLERESTORY</strong> - The upper section of the nave walls pierced by windows.<br />
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<strong>CROSSING</strong> - The space at the intersection of nave chancel and transepts found in cruciform churches (built in the shape of the cross).<br />
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<strong>EASTER SEPULCHRE </strong>- Special type of tomb chest, with flat top, and situated to the north of the high alter. During the Middle Ages, the consecrated host was placed on it on Maundy Thursday, which was a focus of devotion until its unveiling on Easter morning.<br />
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<strong>FONT - </strong>Used in the Baptism ceremony. Many have a lockable cover, or, on many others, the holes or rusty hinges indicate where the cover used to be.<br />
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<strong>HAGIOSCOPE</strong> - Internal 'window' cut through walls to allow priests at side altars to see the main altar. Mass was often said at several altars at the same time.<br />
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<strong>HANGING MONUMENT</strong> - These originate from the Elizabethan period, and are similar to the standing type, but hang on the wall without touching the floor.<br />
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<strong>HEART SHRINE</strong> - Medieval in origin. As the name suggests, built to contain the heart of the deceased. Two examples can be found in Kent - one at Leybourne and the other at Brabourne.<br />
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<strong>JAMB</strong> - Straight side of an archway, doorway or window.<br />
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<strong>LANCET WINDOW</strong> - Slim pointed-arched window.<br />
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<strong>LEDGER STONE</strong> - Large stone slabs found in the floor, which have dedications to the deceased, but do not necessarily cover the grave. Many were lost during the 19th century restorations when the floors were generally re-laid.<br />
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<strong>LYCHGATE</strong> - Wooden structure, with a roof and open sides, at the entrance to the churchyard to provide space for the reception of a coffin. The word <em>lych </em>is Saxon for corpse.<br />
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<strong>MASS DIAL (or Scratchdial)</strong> - Used to determine the times of Mass. Usually found on the south wall beside the door, they were small sundials with a hole in the centre where the gnomon was inserted to cast the shadow from the sun.<br />
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<strong>MONUMENTAL BRASS</strong> - Generally found set into the floor - but sometimes on walls - with name and date to commemorate the deceased. Not actually made of brass, but an alloy known as latten. Kent can boast more of these than any other county.<br />
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<strong>MISERICORD</strong> - Hinged bracket on underside of choir-stall seat which offered the occupant some support during long period of standing.<br />
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<strong>MURALS</strong> - Pictures painted on walls. The interior walls of most churches were decorated during the Middle Ages, but during the 17th century were often whitewashed over (to avoid offending the Puritans) and forgotten. Subsequently, when churches were restored in the 19th century, most were lost for good when the plaster was replaced. There are however a few surviving examples.<br />
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<strong>PISCINA</strong> - A receptacle to hold water for the priest to wash his fingers before Mass. Always found next to every medieval altar.<br />
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<strong>QUOINS</strong> - Dressed stones at the angle of a building.<br />
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<strong>REREDOS</strong> - Structure behind and above the altar.<br />
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<strong>ROOD</strong> - Crucifix usually placed on the screen which divided the chancel and nave, or on a beam above. Most statues and screens were demolished during the Reformation, but there are a few survivors.<br />
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<strong>ROYAL ARMS</strong> - Since the Reformation, Royal Arms were placed in churches to signal the monarch's position as head of the Church. There are not many survivors as most were ordered to be taken down during Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth period (1649-1660).<br />
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<strong>SEDILIA</strong> - Seats for the priests (usually three) on the south side of the chancel.<br />
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<strong>STANDING MONUMENT</strong> - An alternative to the tomb chest, with a carved effigy beneath an ornamental canopy that is usually let into a wall.<br />
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<strong>TEXT BOARDS</strong> - Painted oval or rectangular boards carrying biblical text and scriptures. Originating during the 18th and 19th centuries and - so far as Kent is concerned - found mostly in the Romney Marsh churches.<br />
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<strong>TOMB CHEST</strong> - Solid rectangular block of stone - some with plain polished top, or with effigy of the deceased. Usually with some decoration with differing degrees of elaboration.<br />
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<strong>TRACERY</strong> - Intersecting ribwork in the upper part of a window.<br />
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<strong>TRANSEPT</strong> - Transverse portion of a cross-shaped (cruciform) church.<br />
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<strong>TYMPANUM</strong> - Space between the lintel of a doorway and the arch above it.<br />
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<strong>VOUSSOIR</strong> - Wedge-shaped stone in an arch or arch-shaped window.<br />
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<strong>WATER STOUP</strong> - Made to contain holy water that had been blessed by the priest, and with which the congregation would cross themselves on entering or leaving the church. Usually found near the main door.<br />
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<strong>WHEEL WINDOW</strong> - Rose-shaped window, with patterned tracery, arranged to radiate from the centre.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-65003089931771760882011-03-05T13:30:00.000+00:002011-03-05T13:30:35.226+00:00CONCLUSION<div style="text-align: justify;"> Well, here I am, amazingly, at journey's end in this tentative venture into the realms of authorship. Having never considered that I would ever embark on such an endeavour, the novelty and complete wonderment of filling a blank page with the results of collective research has, for me, only been exceeded by the liberating experience of being able to air in print one's own personal thoughts and feelings.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"> I acknowledge the debt that I owe to the learned John Newman, whose towering work on the Kent sections of 'The Buildings of England' has proved invaluable; to the late Sir John Betjeman whose knowledge, enthusiasm and inimitable brand of humour has made the study of this fascinating subject hugely entertaining and informative; and to the authors of all the meritable volumes listed in the Bibliography who, between them, filled in the considerable gaps in my knowledge and understanding. Through them my personal comprehension has grown, if not to expert proportions, to vastly more than I possessed at the start of this venture. Thanks are also due in no small measure to my wife, Carol, for indulging my whim to attempt the written word, and for her good humour during my frequent moments of frustration when I struggled to find the right words, and to all the members of my extended family for displaying such fortitude in reading each part as it progressed and giving me their constructive criticism and constant encouragement to continue - for this I give them all my love and lasting gratitude.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Finally to the churches themselves, my affection for which has grown to immeasurable proportions. These noble old buildings have moved me sufficiently to take up the pen; inspired me, during the writing of this book, to try my hand at watercolour painting with results, though modest, far beyond that which I would have considered myself capable; have given my wife and I many memorable days in the Kent countryside and, through their study, helped me - to a much larger degree - believe in what they stand for. For these reasons alone I love them dearly as one loves old friends. One thing has become crystal clear during my travels through the various villages - that Kent's remarkable medieval churches are not simply the decaying remains of a bygone age, but a living, breathing testimony to the faith of the great men of history who built them, to the skills of the old stonemasons who fashioned them, and to the affection of all those who lovingly care for them and worship in them today. In conclusion, perhaps I will leave the last word to the Reverend Harry Williams, one-time Dean of Trinity College, Cambridge, who said: "Churches are banks of affection, and it is affection that keeps them standing." Here's to the next volume!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">IWD</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Margate</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2005</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-80984125280643799562011-03-05T12:58:00.000+00:002011-03-05T12:58:48.361+00:00GODMERSHAM, St. Lawrence the Martyr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jZfI7Q6qx9FWDdyOWxvSRj2hCiyTdcu4SOOY6Psf0i6rfEbYr5o5wZAiVXE86pAkXR0vHL92PUmORa6bKbdQUiHO99T9Z6SmNf4lNtsSgonvJNkp_dD0nY_2zlnibsOJpMkiXL4UQ4dt/s1600/Godmersham%252C+St.Lawrence+the+Martyr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jZfI7Q6qx9FWDdyOWxvSRj2hCiyTdcu4SOOY6Psf0i6rfEbYr5o5wZAiVXE86pAkXR0vHL92PUmORa6bKbdQUiHO99T9Z6SmNf4lNtsSgonvJNkp_dD0nY_2zlnibsOJpMkiXL4UQ4dt/s320/Godmersham%252C+St.Lawrence+the+Martyr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> This simple flint building is perhaps one of the most attractively situated churches to be found anywhere in Kent, sitting above the River Stour, framed by trees, with its churchyard - often occupied by sheep - running down to the river bank. When driving past I always find it something of a struggle to take my eyes off it and concentrate on the road. It is not by chance, therefore, that I have chosen St. Lawrence to bring this personal 'literary milestone' to a close as, for me, its uniqueness and setting represents all that I find so charismatic in the country churches of this beautiful county.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The nave and western half of the chancel is Saxon in origin, but no architectural details survive from this period today. Early in the 12th century a north tower was added to the north of the nave, and here we have the feature that is of such antiquarian interest, for here alone, is a Norman tower with an east apsidal chapel. Originally it opened by way of a wide arch to the nave, but there was also a north doorway to make it independent of the church. Apparently, tower-naves were a Saxon speciality, possibly the tower-chapel is a later version of this arrangement. Of the same period is the remarkable stone carving of an archbishop, possibly Archbishop Theobold (d.1162) or Becket (d.1170). John Betjeman favours the latter. Now displayed in the chancel it was, until 1935, attached to the now demolished 14th century Court Lodge. The church was nicely restored during the 1860's with the inclusion of a rather fine rood screen, the Devonshire marble font, and the east window. Fine Minton tiles were laid in the sanctuary, and their medieval predecessors carefully removed and preserved by placement on the window-sill. It occurs to me that I am ending, as I began, with a church that is connected to the great Jane Austen, for memorialised in the church is her brother, Edward Knight (d.1852), a former vicar of Godmersham and owner of Godmersham Park (he changed his name to Knight when he inherited the property from Thomas Knight in 1794).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Jane was a frequent visitor to the mansion, which is situated behind the church on the slope of the Downs. It was here, amid this absorbing scenery, that she studied many of the characters who would later appear in her writings. In fact, the mansion was the setting for 'Rosings Park' and Godmersham vicarage the model for the parsonage in 'Pride and Prejudice' - much of which was written here and which, as I write, has just undergone a highly acclaimed television dramatisation. It is no wonder to me that she found the inspiration here to create what was probably her most famous work, indeed, Richard Church ('The Little Kingdom') aptly described this stretch of countryside as "...still magical with a quality and character wholly English.." On reflection, he might have been describing Jane Austen and her wonderfully witty novels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-70308445532141062562011-03-04T17:05:00.000+00:002011-03-04T17:05:56.355+00:00RECULVER, St. Mary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3ZQC18v0xNeEYRA4uu4L4JRKdMgxQ3K_Rt2RMU4z-aw75vCXPzKqgKnD2_1nWmyCAzUYsXLSUbHNmE5_l_okA7SnrLxrbAsNJ9hIoAl1Ye1Fr-IjD0R9eLw_2-ApyuLUOJp1-zo8qzFf/s1600/THE+%2527TWIN+SISTERS%2527+FROM+THE+BEACH%252C+Reculver%252C+Kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3ZQC18v0xNeEYRA4uu4L4JRKdMgxQ3K_Rt2RMU4z-aw75vCXPzKqgKnD2_1nWmyCAzUYsXLSUbHNmE5_l_okA7SnrLxrbAsNJ9hIoAl1Ye1Fr-IjD0R9eLw_2-ApyuLUOJp1-zo8qzFf/s320/THE+%2527TWIN+SISTERS%2527+FROM+THE+BEACH%252C+Reculver%252C+Kent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Reculver is approached through what Pevsner described as "the vulgarest caravan site in the county." I don't know whether it is or not, but it seems a pity that it had to be located - along with its attendant amusements - so close to a site that is such a remarkable example of this country's historical heritage. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> It was here that the Roman fort of <em>Regulbium</em> stood to defend the northern entrance to the Wantsum channel. The remains of the walls - part of the southern perimeter - are still here, (most of the northern section having been lost to the sea by erosion), and I find it awe-inspiring to think that these stones have stood for close on sixteen-hundred years. Next to come was King Ethelbert's palace, built here after leaving Canterbury having been influenced to accept Augustine by his Christian consort, Bertha, in 597 AD. Sadly, no trace remains of it today. In 669 AD, King Egbert's priest, Bassa, built a Saxon minster on land within the fort, which amazingly survived virtually intact until 1809, when it was disgracefully pulled down by the vicar of the parish, having been persuaded that it was "nothing but a poppet show" by his mother. What little is left can still be seen at ground level.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The substantial remains that can be seen today are the medieval additions effected during the 12th and 13th centuries. The western facade of the twin towers - often referred to as the 'Two Sisters' - were once topped with two spires of nearly equal proportions, virtually doubling the height, and must have been an impressive sight in its day. Legend has it that they were erected by the Abbess of Davington in honour of her dead sister, and in thanksgiving for her own life having been spared from drowning. The Abbess had been very ill and had vowed that, should she recover, she would make a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin at Bradstow to make an offering. She embarked by ship, with her sister Isobel, but ran into a storm which drove them onto a sandbank near Reculver. They were all rescued but her sister, who had suffered badly from the cold and exhaustion, died the following day. The Abbess had the towers built to immortalise her sisters' memory. The spires were eventually removed as they had become unsafe, but the square-topped towers were spared as a sea-mark for shipping in the estuary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Given the significant historical importance of Reculver, and the spectacle of the lonely towers standing on their isolated and windswept promontory, I consider it little wonder that I find myself returning again and again to try to capture the scene in all photographic conditions. It is in the hope of imparting the spirit of this unique place that I have not confined myself to illustrating it with the usually seen aspect from the west, but have used the imposing view from the beach. To this end, it is to be hoped that I have succeeded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-9148248524143898992011-03-04T15:57:00.000+00:002011-03-04T15:57:01.129+00:00TENTERDEN, St. Mildred<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBgs_Ml_vG2E-rF6_KdRrQAivY2THM3mmRlbCUp1vsNKNN2zhIVLaH7VXeumpdsmqrMtO_h2-8loxH9PENVC3ry30hnJaHktoZiZnXkX8xukIt30kt0Dlyvc0KUTqYZxsdRwVoi3qABjI/s1600/Tenterden+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBgs_Ml_vG2E-rF6_KdRrQAivY2THM3mmRlbCUp1vsNKNN2zhIVLaH7VXeumpdsmqrMtO_h2-8loxH9PENVC3ry30hnJaHktoZiZnXkX8xukIt30kt0Dlyvc0KUTqYZxsdRwVoi3qABjI/s320/Tenterden+Church.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> My family and I have often visited this lively town deep in the Kentish Weald, and never fail to appreciate its quality. H.E. Bates (of 'Darling Buds of May' fame) described it perfectly in 'The Country Heart' when he wrote: "Of Tenterden it is enough to say that it could sit with grace in the front row of any prize-winning selection of English country towns. That charming High Street of black-and-white and tile-hung houses of warm terra-cotta, widening to a sort of tree-lined boulevard at one end, is hardly surpassed in England."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> At one end of the High Street is the William Caxton pub, bearing testimony to the claim that the pioneer of printing was born here - a claim which historians give little credence to these days. Off the High Street, at the bottom of Station Road, is the railway station, which once linked up with the main line to Headcorn. In earlier days it was a great hop-pickers line, but it closed in the 1950's. Now restored and called the Kent and East Sussex Railway, it has become a major attraction for enthusiasts and the 'uninitiated' alike, running trips to Northiam just across the East Sussex border.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> In Saxon times, Tenterden belonged to Minster-in-Thanet, which almost certainly explains the rare dedication of this church to St. Mildred. Hemmed in by dwellings around the churchyard, the embattled south front dates from the 13th century, and the north aisle was a 14th century addition. The Bethersden marble tower, added later in the 15th century and considered by John Betjeman as being "the best parochial tower in Kent," dominates the end of the town, and is clear evidence of Tenterden's past prosperity as a wool town and port. With its four miniature turrets it makes a fine contrast to the ironstone and sandstone used for the rest of the building, and proved its value during the 16th century when flames from the beacon on top warned of the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588. St. Mildred's is clearly a building of some singularity, for the nave ceiling is considered to be a rare example of 15th century workmanship, and two blocked 13th century windows, unusually situated above the chancel arch, are uncommon in a Kent church.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Although there are no historically important monuments to be found here, there is one link which endears it to me immensely. Those who know me well, are aware of the great esteem in which I hold Horatio Nelson - the most enduring of all my boyhood heroes (the subsequent knowledge that he was a somewhat flawed hero has done nothing to diminish this one jot). It was, therefore, with much delight that I learned that a former vicar's wife was none other than Horatia Ward, the beloved daughter of the great man and Lady Hamilton, and the church pamphlet carries a reproduction of an embroidered picture of the church done by her own fair hands. It is, for me, little touches like this that makes the study of this subject so fascinating and worthwhile, and it is so typical that they are often stumbled upon in the most unexpected places.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-44978110959380665742010-12-02T11:17:00.000+00:002010-12-02T11:17:36.431+00:00St. Nicholas, Milton-juxta-Canterbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEOZN9QSZJ9oQ6bcRgubX1U1odAiGkXEx2S861a16Sje-KL4inmNidVvL8CfUmoghcYRn2LPmtoebW2sY_9YrwTFDPxCDqu2WHt3k-NLTkTWX_ONI43UxSI0VogrNbN3624EnemYjeWey/s1600/Milton-Juxta-+Canterbury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEOZN9QSZJ9oQ6bcRgubX1U1odAiGkXEx2S861a16Sje-KL4inmNidVvL8CfUmoghcYRn2LPmtoebW2sY_9YrwTFDPxCDqu2WHt3k-NLTkTWX_ONI43UxSI0VogrNbN3624EnemYjeWey/s320/Milton-Juxta-+Canterbury.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Without a church I think a place lacks its heart and identity," observed John Betjeman. Here we find a church without a "place", with no village or hamlet appreciably close-by. Flanked on one side by a farm, and on the other by a gravel quarry with only sheep to keep it company, this dear little church appeals to my predilection for isolated settings, standing all alone like a symbolic "Rock of Ages" against the irrepressible tide of the 20th century. Not having - so far as I am aware - any notable architectural merits or historical associations, St. Nicholas never rates a mention in most celebrated publications, and only qualifies for five lines in Newman's "Buildings of England." However, exercising my usual propensity for backing the underdog I include it here, as I feel that it probably serves better than most to illustrate the sheer diversity of Kent's medieval country churches and, not least, because I like it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> This simple little flint church with limestone dressings has been described as one of the smallest in England, consisting only of a nave and lower chancel, west bell-gable and, in all, totalling only 45 feet in length. It is medieval in origin (traces of a medieval village having been found in the fields to the north), but was completely rebuilt in 1829 by a local benefactor, John Bell, as a memorial to his daughter and a mausoleum for his family. It is, perhaps, interesting to note that Syms has this building dedicated to St. John in his "Kent Country Churches." While I wouldn't expect him to lose any sleep over any thoughts I may have on the matter, I am sure he would understand my opting for Newman's version. As Syms himself said, "I now regard John Newman as infallible and all-encompassing in the field of Kent."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> My son-in-law and I came here to photograph this bantam of a building on a stiflingly hot summer's day. Having to leave the car on the road to the east of the church, we humped our equipment - by virtue of rights of way - across privately owned land and, not finding an official entrance, had to finally climb a fence to gain access to the paddock in which it is situated. It seemed as if we were on private ground but nobody troubled us while we were there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I used a golden filter to add a warm glow to the colours, and a graduated light-violet to enhance the clear blue sky. From a compositional standpoint I would have liked the sheep on the far right of the picture to have been a little nearer the bottom of the frame, but sheep rarely, if ever, do what you want them to. I relished our 'safari' here, and although this little church is of modest proportions compared to the majority of its contemporaries, for me it is perfect proof that, sometimes, "less is more."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-20947798709818087012010-11-30T17:54:00.000+00:002010-11-30T17:54:03.859+00:00St. John the Baptist, Barham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjhZ1EtRGZVr-gxuyDIQwe8DZdFvFD84dIguCTWiZGgtfGnOxeA34iueclO6u-_hQCEHMztjFCOo-Hf_-mFbRKUG5jVjXGwogeKJPgGqPTZUn4SzA2Ek-8WVR1hhYJRo_MBGMyQCabtyO/s1600/ST.+JOHN+THE+BAPTIST%252C+Barham%252C+Kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjhZ1EtRGZVr-gxuyDIQwe8DZdFvFD84dIguCTWiZGgtfGnOxeA34iueclO6u-_hQCEHMztjFCOo-Hf_-mFbRKUG5jVjXGwogeKJPgGqPTZUn4SzA2Ek-8WVR1hhYJRo_MBGMyQCabtyO/s320/ST.+JOHN+THE+BAPTIST%252C+Barham%252C+Kent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Barham nestles among the Downs in the beautiful Nailbourne Valley, and the first view one gets when approaching from across the A2 Dover road is of the slender copper spire of St. Johns towering attractively above the trees on the wooded slope which runs down to the village. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Barham Downs has been the backdrop to many notable events which go to make up the rich tapestry of this country's history. The Romans camped here on their way inland after landing at Richborough in Thanet; William the Conqueror met the Men of Kent here to receive their oaths of loyalty, and to take delivery of hostages as insurance; Royalist troops massed here during the Civil War before their attack on Dover Castle, and the British army camped here during the Napoleonic Wars prior to embarkation on their way to the Continent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The church, dating mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries, has a hint of Norman in the tower, so has played silent witness to many of the great events mentioned here. It is cruciform with nave; chancel; north and south transepts and south aisle. The tower, situated at the west end of the building, has been elongated to the north and south making shallow chambers. Though not remarkable, St. John certainly graces its surroundings and, when viewed from the south, I find its long sleek outline hugely pleasing. The only sour note for me is the removal of many of the gravestones to the perimeter of the churchyard. It may make the upkeep of the churchyard more manageable but, in so doing, I feel that it destroys its character.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Inside there is an elaborate memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d.1750), which received extremely short change from John Newman, brasses to Roger Digges (d.1375), and John Digges and Wife (c.1460). On the war memorial can be seen the celebrated name of Kitchener who owned nearby Broome Park. Broome Park consisted of the 17th century mansion and 500 acres when Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener of Khartoum purchased it in 1911. He planned to spend his retirement years here but it was never to be. He made many alterations and filled the interior with treasures he had collected during his long career in the army. He was known as an avid collector, and one whose methods were not over-scrupulous. If he fancied something, he would say so, and was often presented with it by the owner who felt almost compromised into handing it to the great man. Kitchener spent his last hours in England in the garden at Broome Park, before leaving on the 3rd June 1916 for Scapa Flow. He embarked there on the cruiser <em>"Hampshire" </em>bound for Russia, but perished when the ship struck a mine and sank.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> As can be seen, Barham certainly enjoys its fair share of colourful connections, as do many other villages in this charismatic county that can boast an historical heritage second to none. As a lover of history it makes me proud to call it home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-74908796650837463982010-11-24T14:59:00.000+00:002010-11-24T14:59:55.411+00:00St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas-at-Wade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky63PHzaObrk9AGI4idli7_Cxcn_x_Kv71YbM43x6TuM8pA-n4ta39NtnM6_ylD81EDhDbzFbLbGseYNsRg8qRe6-gg1aLL75lB0T2hplJDvoqM76Z471mK_7CypdgQdrkLMG_47oCdM-/s1600/ST.+NICHOLAS%252C+St.+Nicholas-at-Wade%252C+Kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky63PHzaObrk9AGI4idli7_Cxcn_x_Kv71YbM43x6TuM8pA-n4ta39NtnM6_ylD81EDhDbzFbLbGseYNsRg8qRe6-gg1aLL75lB0T2hplJDvoqM76Z471mK_7CypdgQdrkLMG_47oCdM-/s320/ST.+NICHOLAS%252C+St.+Nicholas-at-Wade%252C+Kent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Large and impressive." "One of the most rewarding churches in the north-east corner of the county." These are just two of the epithets used to describe St. Nicholas whose tall 14th century tower dominates the village and surrounding farmland. Today's church - dating in part from the 12th century, but largely 13th/14th century - gave its name to the village, and originated as a Saxon chapel of ease subordinate to the Parish of Reculver. St. Nicholas, however, became a separate parish on the appointment of Adam de Brancestre as vicar in 1294 during the reign of Edward III.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Built of flint and ragstone, it consists of a clerestoried nave; chancel; north and south chapels; two-storeyed porch and a broad west tower with a south-west stair-turret. Battlemented virtually all the way round, the use of other local stones in the fabric gives the building a distinctively attractive aspect. The interior is no less compelling, and offers much to preoccupy the aficianado. Some of the carvings on the arcade pillars are said to be "superb Kentish examples of the medieval Green Man"; the beautiful east window in the chancel depicts Christ on the cross, flanked by St. Nicholas and St. Augustine; and the Jacobean pulpit, dating from 1615, is the earliest dated example in the county.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There are many interesting ledger stones in the nave and tower floor, the oldest of which is dated 1582, and one, to a William Henaker (d.1609), has an inscription that is memorable in its understatement: <em>'(he) lived to the age of 39 yeares or thereabouts and then died and was buried.' </em>Another reads thus: <em>'Here lieth the body of Edward Hannis who departed this life 23 April 1750 aged 55 years. And also 9 of his children.' </em>Does this mean he had more!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The south chapel - dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket - is used as a vestry, but up until 1833 was the parish schoolroom and still has the fireplace intact. Next to the main door a very rickety ladder (which I climbed at the risk of life and limb) leads to a room above the porch. This is used as a storeroom but, back in the 18th century, was rented as a workshop by the local plumber.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The north chapel contains several memorials to members of the Bridges family, one of which is to a former Poet Laureate - Robert Bridges (1844-1930). I suppose, from time to time, we are all reminded by certain events of our own mortality, but perhaps the verse found on a tomb chest to two young members of the family is as stark a reminder as any: <em>'Stay reader, stand and lend a tear. Unto the dust that slumbers here; And when you read the state of me. Think on the glass that runs for thee.' </em>Enough said!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-77710874818415341022010-11-15T14:57:00.000+00:002010-11-15T14:57:22.603+00:00St. Anthony the Martyr, Alkham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9Ot2mf0Y4lLc6vDEeJcSsyZydB38XPWzSTeF_H2fkxaRkeXnjdqqWBSMt-CypIA-eK8uGMlC7J2nklaXyMOcZtC56Rb1jP8V5J7TWg65GH_-B8TW89MUs-xIlwEbmAJeigBPT8odc_D4/s1600/Alkham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9Ot2mf0Y4lLc6vDEeJcSsyZydB38XPWzSTeF_H2fkxaRkeXnjdqqWBSMt-CypIA-eK8uGMlC7J2nklaXyMOcZtC56Rb1jP8V5J7TWg65GH_-B8TW89MUs-xIlwEbmAJeigBPT8odc_D4/s320/Alkham.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I eventually arrived here - after a pleasant drive through the scenic Alkham valley on a beautiful summers day - having completely missed the church the first time. Finally locating it, sitting above the village backed by tall trees behind the local hostelry, my immediate problem was where to park the car. I couldn't leave it on the main road because of the double yellow lines, and the lane leading up to the church was too narrow to park without causing an obstruction, so I elected to cheekily leave it in the pub car park and hope that the landlord wouldn't complain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> On entering the churchyard through the lychgate, I was glad to see that it was spacious - with no unsightly telegraph wires - and that it allowed me to virtually pick any spot from which to take my shots. I was confronted by a building which Newman describes as being of "considerable interest and beauty" and I wouldn't argue with that. It seems that there has been a church here at least since the Conquest (possibly earlier), but the present flint structure is largely Early English dating from the 13th century, with a west tower; chancel and, unusually, a narrow south aisle with clerestory windows. The 14th century saw the addition of a singularly grand north chapel and chancel, the sum of which we see before us today. It once belonged to the abbey of St. Radigund, but has certainly fared much better than that ivy-clad ruin situated high on the isolated chalk plateau behind Dover.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The first recorded rector was Herbert de Averenches, son of Simon, the Lord of the Barony of Folkestone. His short incumbency lasted between 1199 and 1203, and would certainly have been in the original Norman church, the only traces of which are to be found embedded in the walls of the present building. He lies buried in an engraved stone coffin in the floor of the north chapel and the inscription, claimed to be the earliest to be found anywhere in a Kent church, reads thus: <em>'Here lieth Herbert, offspring of Simon. A man open-hearted, assured by hope of good things, fluent in words of faith.'</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em> </em>To complete the very pleasant picture here, set above the church among clumps of beech trees sits the Old Rectory, a handsome early 18th century house in different shades of red brick with an adjoining entrance gate into the churchyard - no doubt the abode of the rectors past and present. In order to cut down the glare on the church walls, and to maximise the effect of the blue sky, I decided to shoot with a polariser and warm-up filter. I was reasonably pleased with the result, although one is never entirely happy and always feels that one could do better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-12991138564596175852010-11-13T14:21:00.000+00:002010-11-13T14:21:18.716+00:00St. Mary, Chartham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqwTZW5eJNPh84rztE4QgG-khvea0Yz3xAYLQgvIcsmXRid2YwE7HrWMVhEFM9DFVZRhpNT_u4dOo1qI0T4Xh3cUzzKUENrQhvUq1SBvK2iz4fLWXGr7FkvY3P0ra3L5Zd7qjm0PdlnnD/s1600/CHARTHAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqwTZW5eJNPh84rztE4QgG-khvea0Yz3xAYLQgvIcsmXRid2YwE7HrWMVhEFM9DFVZRhpNT_u4dOo1qI0T4Xh3cUzzKUENrQhvUq1SBvK2iz4fLWXGr7FkvY3P0ra3L5Zd7qjm0PdlnnD/s320/CHARTHAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Situated south-west of Canterbury, at the foot of the North Downs on the River Stour, Chartham promises much as one approaches it down the hill from the A28, and sees the red-tiled roofs surrounding the church. Sadly, the village doesn't live up to this early promise but, happily, the same cannot be said of this fine cruciform building that stands heroically against the press of the adjacent paper factory. This impressive building is known to have been in the course of erection in 1294, for it is recorded that in that year Edward III remitted part of a fine to the vicar <em>'towards the works of a church begun by him.'</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Built of knapped flint, it has the usual arrangement of aisleless nave, chancel and north and south transepts, but with a Perpendicular-style (1350-1500) tower situated at the west end of the building and not, as is more usual, over the crossing. With diagonal buttresses and square north turret, the tower was probably built after 1490 - when money was left for repairing the original - and houses what are claimed to be the oldest set of five bells in Kent. According to John Newman, the stained glass in the chancel was greatly renewed in 1881, but enough remains from 1294 "to guarantee the authenticity of the whole."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The magnet that draws most interest is its fine life-size brass to Sir Robert de Septvans, a crusader who fought with Edward I. This celebrated brass, 6 feet 3 inches in length - the oldest in Kent and fourth oldest in England - portrays the knight with his hands clasped in prayer; cross-legged, bareheaded with finely curled side locks and wearing a surcoat over his mail armour. He wears a massive sword and carries a shield dotted with his emblem, a winnowing fan. He also wears ailettes - a type of early 14th century epaulet - which is a rare feature on monumental effigies. Situated in the north transept, it originally lay in the centre of the chancel, and was probably moved during the Victorian restoration of the sanctuary in 1873-5. Unfortunately, the key-holder was not at home when I photographed the church, so I have yet to see this brass with my own eyes - hopefully I shall do so eventually.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Moving back to the paper factory, although the present mill was opened in 1949, papermaking has been a major industry in the village for more than six-hundred years and, the owner of an earlier mill is credited with introducing straw into papermaking technology for the first time. In 1939, the Chartham mill was a very important site producing all the tracing paper Britain needed for use, among other things, in the design of tanks, planes and other weapons to assist the war effort. The village therefore can justly claim to have played its part in the defence of this sceptered isle. All-in-all, one feels that Chartham's old warrior would have approved.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-83537295045012048232010-11-09T16:22:00.001+00:002010-11-09T16:46:27.644+00:00St. James the Great, Elmsted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rpCLWptu7UBF_nvoaRptPLiBnSrXVRmeQjyM5fbh4UuacJ_qszlLepMqboSJaUYhPCLr8ei5_e-uWgptFbQeZg2zudeSyxqmpO8Fo3AbrtwqIx0k0JvrvoKnvOSxuBCOoo_hEXsVVfvR/s1600/ELMSTED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rpCLWptu7UBF_nvoaRptPLiBnSrXVRmeQjyM5fbh4UuacJ_qszlLepMqboSJaUYhPCLr8ei5_e-uWgptFbQeZg2zudeSyxqmpO8Fo3AbrtwqIx0k0JvrvoKnvOSxuBCOoo_hEXsVVfvR/s320/ELMSTED.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> This is precisely the sort of church that I like so much, in fact it is one of my personal favourites, standing alone with no village to hem it in - only a farm on the opposite side of the lane - on top of the breezy Downs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> St. James is of Norman origin with nave, chancel, gabled aisles, and north and south chapels resulting in the typically Kentish three equal gables at the east end. The most striking feature of this attractive church, and the one that does the most to distinguish it from the realms of the ordinary, is the Early English (1200-1300) flint tower with an overlapping wooden belfry and shingled spire. The whole thing looks slightly top-heavy and probably explains the unusually large Elizabethan buttress which helps support it. Masons marks can be still be seen quite clearly on the north and south doorways, of which, according to the church pamphlet, the oblique strokes are Norman and the neater claw marks are medieval - just the kind of feature that serves so well to remind us of the timeless nature of these fantastic old buildings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw7ZOWo7Pt3mdGXIDOq_w8Eroh6Hnrzk-Y7CPlRoVC8ucr4MB7vjsnvICu5O6QFNnpewXy45UkT43C92fI3tOjh2RTfWUkBPibFLmfxVvD4TdslS1hZzsnwhbzMtKRcAv5Cdo4oVEdbXs/s1600/Elmsted+-+(St.James)+East+Window+in+Honeywood+Chapel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw7ZOWo7Pt3mdGXIDOq_w8Eroh6Hnrzk-Y7CPlRoVC8ucr4MB7vjsnvICu5O6QFNnpewXy45UkT43C92fI3tOjh2RTfWUkBPibFLmfxVvD4TdslS1hZzsnwhbzMtKRcAv5Cdo4oVEdbXs/s320/Elmsted+-+(St.James)+East+Window+in+Honeywood+Chapel.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East window in the Honeywood Chapel</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The interior, which has an unmistakable air of antiquity, has several fascinating features - enough to interest the most casual 'church crawler.' There is a Norman font of local marble but, unusually, of an octagonal shape; the 15th century arcade pillars which stand on their original Norman bases; carved corbel heads with one poking its tongue out (what is the significance of this?) and, at the west end of the north aisle, an original vestry doorway which Newman tells us is "a very rare late medieval survival." The vast majority of the monuments are to the Honeywood family, and eponymously, the south chapel is named after them. An interesting feature of this, which I made a point of photographing, is the east window. It commemorates Arthur Honeywood who died in the Afghan wars in a battle that only a dog survived. Apparently, the dog was decorated by Queen Victoria (taking the old adage of the British being a nation of dog-lovers a bit too far, I think!) The chapel also has an altar stone which was recovered from the churchyard, and a ledger stone to another Honeywood described as <em>'Controller of Ye Revenue of Tenthes and First Fruits'</em> (the medieval version of the tax man?)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There was so much room to shoot, from in and out of the churchyard, that I was able to take my time and select my spot carefully, finally settling on the shot used here. This is an uncommonly handsome church of which its parishioners have every right to be proud. At the time of writing I have visited it three times, shooting in both colour and monochrome and, doubtless, I shall return again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-2775865962321444702010-11-06T14:52:00.000+00:002010-11-06T14:52:15.714+00:00St. Mary the Virgin, Eastry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqghbc502uljqjwothm7DP_lahznnTdmE3cx4jh-GmwitJ_u_EzxP9ZJ7wrGTED8AA9sm9_kqlMQXnqJUPEl9BJGUKEVb6eWhW_UMF62BvfHmBmHME0_3u0u64cpWYCUWr1vbKn33gL5KL/s1600/Eastry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqghbc502uljqjwothm7DP_lahznnTdmE3cx4jh-GmwitJ_u_EzxP9ZJ7wrGTED8AA9sm9_kqlMQXnqJUPEl9BJGUKEVb6eWhW_UMF62BvfHmBmHME0_3u0u64cpWYCUWr1vbKn33gL5KL/s320/Eastry.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> St. Mary's is a grand-looking church befitting the former importance of its village, for Eastry was once the Royal capital of the Saxon Kingdom of Kent. It is generally accepted that Eastry Court, which stands next to the church, was built on the site of the Royal Hall of Kentish Kings. It was here that the murder of King Egbert's nephews took place - the tale of which (as the more unflagging readers among you may recall) was recounted earlier in the narrative on Minster-in-Thanet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Built of flint and Caen stone, the church dates from the 12th century and consists of a mostly Early English chancel (1200-1300) and clerestoried nave with north and south aisles, and is finished off with a solid west tower complete with a north-east stair turret; low lean-to annexes north and south; Norman doorway; and Norman windows in the north and south faces. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> My wife and I were fortunate enough to be visiting the village one day, with some friends who were searching the churchyard for signs of a relative who had lived in the village years before. While so engaged, we were approached by a very friendly gentleman who happened to be one of the church wardens. He very kindly obtained the key and then treated us to a highly entertaining guided tour. He told us that Becket hid in the tunnel, which links the church with Eastry Court, when fleeing the wrath of Henry II from Sandwich in 1164, and showed us the spot where he entered the tunnel. He pointed out the circular arcade pillars and asked us if we could spot the oddity. This was one octagonal pillar, a late 13th century substitute, with carvings said to represent a perpetual calendar from which feast days were calculated. Above the chancel arch are some faded medieval wall-paintings. These are in medallion form, in four tiers of seven roundels, and were discovered beneath a coat of plaster. The walls are bedecked with hanging memorials, one of which is to a Captain John Harvey RN, a native of Eastry, who died of his wounds at the battle of the Glorious First of June in 1794 when the British defeated the French fleet off Brest. It features a circular relief of the battle, over which floats an angel holding scales and a victors palm. Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton are known to have visited Eastry during their visits to Heronden House - possibly visiting our aforementioned Captain?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Syms remarked how vividly the old village churches brought alive the history of this country and how, for him, this was part of their appeal. I totally agree, but would go further and say that, allied to this, is the pleasure of meeting so many pleasant people who often stop and chat when they spot me in the churchyard. Just like our churchwarden friend, whose name now sadly escapes me, and who made our visit so memorable. They are a credit to their respective villages, and do great honour to the churches in which they display such obvious affection.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-72805567847497561412010-11-03T20:51:00.000+00:002010-11-03T20:51:40.802+00:00St. Giles, Kingston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj8hyphenhyphen_2Eh3ZLwwCR4VFm06xX7LlUxOThCIB_BQDdacG1cPg44QYtW7EsFqKAhwaZZVL0GtZ_y3bd-dAQGJekaIxx8_iVU4_fq3jz0t_C_-RZdVqbteX4hTc9mson0rrseDJ6CMMe464PV/s1600/Kingston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj8hyphenhyphen_2Eh3ZLwwCR4VFm06xX7LlUxOThCIB_BQDdacG1cPg44QYtW7EsFqKAhwaZZVL0GtZ_y3bd-dAQGJekaIxx8_iVU4_fq3jz0t_C_-RZdVqbteX4hTc9mson0rrseDJ6CMMe464PV/s320/Kingston.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I made my way here having just photographed Lyminge church and, although St. Giles is not as grand and cannot quite claim the historical pedigree of the former, it is still something of a rarity. Being early Norman it is constructed of flint but, like Elmstone, is one of only a few Kent churches where the corners are not dressed with quoins as the stone was expensive to import. It possesses an aisleless nave and lower chancel, and has not undergone a great deal of enlargement - a 14th century tower, north porch and an extension to the east end of the chancel being the only additions. It stands on an elevated churchyard above its small village, and I found this old and compact little building very easy on the eye as I made my way up the path to the accompaniment of the nesting birds in the trees alongside.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The first listed rector here was Alexander de la Knolle in 1265, but there must have surely been others before this in a church dating from the 11th century. In 1647, a Nicholas Dingley was appointed "in the tune of the Commonwealth" but at the Restoration, an attempt was made to eject him and Miles Barnes, the rector of Brooke, was appointed on August 2nd 1660. He, however, failed to replace him and Mr. Dingley continued in possession until his death in 1671. Good for him!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I found the welcoming interior most interesting. There is an Elizabethan pulpit dating from the 16th century; a somewhat time-worn corbel head under the tower overlooking the font, which I think is supposed to represent St. Augustine; a Norman font with octagonal bowl on shafts, with two sunken arches and round-topped each side ( a rarity for a Norman font); and there is supposed to be a complete set of armour with tabard, but I didn't see it myself. Perhaps it has been removed for safekeeping, and this was why I found the church to be open (Syms notes that when he visited he found it locked).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There is a fascinating story concerning the font. It dates from the very beginning of the 13th century and was apparently cast out of the church on account of its age and used to hold pig food! It was rescued "from profanation" (to quote the church pamphlet) by one, Bryan Faussett in 1775, and kept in his summer-house at Heppington where it remained until it was finally restored to Kingston church - after an absence of one-hundred-and-sixty years - in 1931!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I really enjoyed my visit here, and even the weather smiled on me as the sun finally put in an appearance for the first time that day. I used a warm-up filter to enhance the winter sunshine and a grey graduated filter to slightly darken the sky. Following Lyminge, it was the perfect culmination of a days photography.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-56316949034958364932010-11-01T10:56:00.000+00:002010-11-01T10:56:54.116+00:00St. Martin of Tours, Herne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CMo2y2g7v8dI-nbibcx0a7TStPa67yiXuI-f78kx6-sFqTsc3PmJeoc3baLFL5sju7hN4-wYc4aOH9TBygc0TuOEZ2J7pToVLCr6AuYFnC4wPURYJH3B-CkihPoyYVU2EHqXHNMMOYT6/s1600/Herne+-+St.Martin+of+Tours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CMo2y2g7v8dI-nbibcx0a7TStPa67yiXuI-f78kx6-sFqTsc3PmJeoc3baLFL5sju7hN4-wYc4aOH9TBygc0TuOEZ2J7pToVLCr6AuYFnC4wPURYJH3B-CkihPoyYVU2EHqXHNMMOYT6/s320/Herne+-+St.Martin+of+Tours.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> My wife and I arrived here having come from little Westbere, and how enormous this large church seemed by comparison. It resembles those more frequently found in the Weald of Kent, which were usually built on a grander scale than those in the eastern part of the county, largely with the help of the rich wool merchants. How Herne warranted a church of these proportions, or how it was funded in such a small village can only remain a mystery.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Apparently, during the late 1980's, the apsidal foundation walls of an earlier smaller church were found beneath the north chapel. Syms puts forward the theory that this smaller building was here when Herne was a chapelry of Reculver, and after Reculver "succumbed to the sea" this larger church was built. It is 14th century, of ragstone and flint, and comprises a nave and chancel with aisles continued as chapels, and a broad north-west tower with an avenue of chestnuts leading up to the north porch. This building (especially the tower) has been afforded the highest acclaim by the architectural specialists, and I bow to their superior knowledge. However, if I am to remain true to my purpose and record my impressions, I have to say that it is not the type of church that attracts me, being too large and square for my taste and lacking the rustic simplicity of the smaller country church.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Historically, it is quite another story. A former incumbent was Nicholas Ridley (1538-1549) who, while he was vicar, allowed the Te Deum to be sung here in English for the first time in England. Following promotion to the See of Rochester, and later to London, he became heavily involved in affairs of state. He, subsequently unwisely, championed the claims of Lady Jane Grey to the throne in 1553, and two years later was convicted of heresy and sentenced to death. He was burned at the stake along with his fellow Bishop, Hugh Latimer, on 16th October 1555 in Broad Street, Oxford. While at the stake, Latimer spoke these inspiring words: <em>"Be of good comfort Master Ridley. Play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out." </em>Religious or otherwise, one cannot help having a high regard for members of the clergy for their courage in the face of such horror and adversity. No doubt such examples are still being demonstrated in various trouble-torn parts of the world today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The day of shooting was dull and overcast, so I experimented with warm-up, graduated and soft focus filters to add some much needed colour and atmosphere. Ironically, this church that didn't particularly appeal to me, yielded a shot that I rate among the best in my collection. Such is the unpredictability and fascination of this hobby that I love so much.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-33025894653578170982010-10-31T10:30:00.007+00:002010-10-31T10:42:17.757+00:00St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Challock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeOjH6JBO6GazlP4X8G7yMyUISh1dYTrervzNFa2PKHRCimsc2uogUVLOSe6Bh3IzLcRgUNy2PVsHZhH6yQcn0R0ZtjEvb1Elwxq2PUyLPnAlaGa1gcIU5PTZ-XaQcRWVYRkqJkRaU45K/s1600/Challock+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeOjH6JBO6GazlP4X8G7yMyUISh1dYTrervzNFa2PKHRCimsc2uogUVLOSe6Bh3IzLcRgUNy2PVsHZhH6yQcn0R0ZtjEvb1Elwxq2PUyLPnAlaGa1gcIU5PTZ-XaQcRWVYRkqJkRaU45K/s320/Challock+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> If the claim of a local nurseryman in 1983 had been upheld, Challock might have been world famous. He declared that he had developed the blue dahlia which, in horticultural circles, was roughly akin to discovering the lost Ark! Unfortunately, his claim was dismissed when the flower was judged to be purple. The old village was hard-hit by the Black Death in the 14th century, so the villagers moved away from the plague-ridden centre and resettled on a new site. This, plus the enclosure in 1589 of the old road that passed the church within the confines of Eastwell Park, has left this beautiful old building isolated among woods at the bottom of a dead-end road about one mile from the present village.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The church is one of only two in Kent that is dedicated to the Arabian medics SS. Cosmas and Damian (the other being Blean, near Canterbury). Of 13th century foundation, it consists of a nave with north and south aisles, chancel and north chapel. The attractive west tower, added in the 14th century, comes complete with a south-east stair turret, diagonal buttresses that die-in halfway up and a flint cross embedded in the fabric just above the first stage. The chancel was virtually rebuilt in 1873 and, following extensive bomb damage in 1944, the church was largely rebuilt and rededicated in 1958. It would seem that the 'fickle finger of fate' was at work here for the church to sustain a direct hit, situated as it is in such an isolated spot. One finds it hard to believe that even an enemy aircraft would wilfully bomb a church having no strategic value - one would like to think not anyway!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I first came here on a wet and dreary day in November 1995, when the long roomy churchyard was crawling with pheasant and, immediately falling under its spell, quickly made a firm decision to return under better photographic conditions. This I did during the church Flower Festival in August 1996, when the inside was beautifully decorated with flower arrangements interpreting The Revelation of St. John the Divine, and a gentleman was playing songs from various Lloyd-Webber musicals on the church organ. It gave me an opportunity to see first-hand the celebrated wall paintings for which the church is justly acclaimed. Those in the north chapel show country scenes - with roundels - depicting the adventures of SS. Cosmas and Damian, and were executed in 1953 by two students of the Royal Academy School; the chancel paintings, effected in 1955 by Royal Academician and book illustrator John Ward, are scenes from the life of Christ with figures in modern dress alongside the biblical characters. The paintings lend a lively feel to the light and airy interior, and although I am not one to find the more formal demeanour of a church discouraging, I have to say that the almost carnival atmosphere revealed a face that the Church in general might do well to show more frequently. Well-done Challock!<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-54589863884577061552010-10-30T21:04:00.000+01:002010-10-30T21:04:40.381+01:00St. Mary, Betteshanger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuVq6_I256n6iEe6zRYvtJEL9sefriC5SdQCmoGyGSJCt_AA_cos1CvekIDKh5HXn4jZ5PaAwU-Yq94PJMZbYNTNqieV5IYI4GQFNWpXo-q6wNXVVtG9nddy0yAuTA1PKncyrwOuas_nS/s1600/Betteshanger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuVq6_I256n6iEe6zRYvtJEL9sefriC5SdQCmoGyGSJCt_AA_cos1CvekIDKh5HXn4jZ5PaAwU-Yq94PJMZbYNTNqieV5IYI4GQFNWpXo-q6wNXVVtG9nddy0yAuTA1PKncyrwOuas_nS/s320/Betteshanger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> When my wife and I set out to photograph St. Mary's, I did so with a large measure of suspicion. Having read that it was a 19th century attempt to rival peerless Barfrestone, I have to confess to harbouring a preconceived feeling, bordering on contempt, for a building - described by Syms as a "Victorian extravaganza" - with such lofty aspirations. We found the church at the end of a narrow lane past a large paddock full of grazing livestock, and I have to say that on receiving my first view, I was totally captivated by what stood before me. This is, without exception, the most attractive Victorian church that I have ever seen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> It is situated in a delightful spot bordering the easternmost extremity of Betteshanger House - I would have used the term 'idyllic' had it not been for the rather ugly modern buildings that were under construction by the side of the churchyard. Commissioned by Lord Northbourne, it was built by Anthony Salvin in 1853 on the site of an earlier 12th century church, and consists solely of a chancel and nave with a north tower. The north entrance is genuinely Norman incorporated from the earlier building (the one feature that qualifies it for club membership in this modest work), and the elaborately carved neo-Norman south doorway is protected by a large Byzantine-like portico. Inside, a couple of features remain from the earlier church. A 13th century piscina - the carved receptacle for water where the priest washed his fingers before Mass; and the Royal Arms of William III. The churchyard boasts three Yew trees of some note. One, beside the south door, and unfortunately damaged during the Great Storm of October 1987, is three-hundred-and-fifty years old; and two, situated in the north-west corner were planted in 1854. One, by Viscount Hardinge, Commander of the British Army after Wellington, and the other by William Gladstone - then leader of the Liberal Party and personal friend of Lord Northbourne.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> When in the process of writing this account one describes its various features, it seems an unusual mix yet, to the eye, this singular little building exudes immense charm, and although its pedigree doesn't equal Barfrestone - it never could - it need make no apology for its existence. Rupert Brooke, the poet-soldier of the First World War, penned what is probably his most enduring poem "The Soldier" while encamped at Betteshanger, before his young life came to an end on the way to the Dardanelles in April 1915. One cannot escape the sentimental notion that perhaps he had Betteshanger's little church in mind when he wrote the opening lines:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: justify;"><em>'If I should die, think only this of me:</em></div><div align="center" style="text-align: justify;"><em>That there's some corner of a foreign field</em></div><div align="center" style="text-align: justify;"><em>That is forever England'</em></div><div align="center" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-54972770907511757892010-10-29T16:27:00.000+01:002010-10-29T16:27:57.951+01:00St. Mary and St. Ethelburga, Lyminge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4CEK7-7UrO9hxGS9KhSWR9UvUZaFgoF-SXBjNNeKW-MEtaLC7S56pMWaTgvkbLS7NY9fQhDomMjICeYecRCCTvJoHYMR4-n6JMuPZra-Fm7yErkVnBBiuJXn_QfIoVV72KORLaYMLGGj/s1600/Lyminge+-+St.Mary+&+St.Ethelburga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4CEK7-7UrO9hxGS9KhSWR9UvUZaFgoF-SXBjNNeKW-MEtaLC7S56pMWaTgvkbLS7NY9fQhDomMjICeYecRCCTvJoHYMR4-n6JMuPZra-Fm7yErkVnBBiuJXn_QfIoVV72KORLaYMLGGj/s320/Lyminge+-+St.Mary+&+St.Ethelburga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I had driven through Lyminge on countless occasions during our family perambulations through Kent, but had never stopped here to view what is one of the oldest village churches in the county. I decided to redress the situation on a bitterly cold March morning, but any preoccupation with the weather was soon forgotten when confronted by this prestigious 'old pile', sitting on its elevated plateau, a short distance from the village. My initial expectation that this building might prove to be something special was immediately proved well-founded as I made my way beneath a flying buttress which, amusingly, straddled the churchyard path. It is of medieval origin, and supports the south-east corner of the chancel and is, to date, the only example I have seen of such an arrangement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> It was here that Ethelburga, daughter of King Ethelbert and wife of Edwin of Northumberland, the founder of York, built her abbey as a mark of her widowhood in 633 AD - just two-hundred-and-fifty-years after the retreat of the Romans. Part of the original foundations are still visible at ground level beside the south porch as, too, is the tomb of Ethelburga. Marked by a stone tablet in a shallow recess, the tomb was originally in the north part of the abbey, but today's building stands slightly north of this so, consequently, the present south walls are situated where the north walls once stood. The present building - with the exception of the north aisle and sturdy west tower added in the 16th century - is Saxon in origin, and was built by Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 965 AD. The nave and square-ended chancel are large by Saxon standards, and contain four windows with Roman tiles for voussoirs (wedge-shaped stone in an arch or arch-shaped window). Its size is probably explained by the fact that Lyminge was the centre of Limowart lathe - one of seven administrative centres of Saxon rule in Kent - and was no doubt built to reflect its importance. It is a fine church that carries its age well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I wasn't surprised to find the church locked, as one understands the dilemma facing the Church in our increasingly lawless society, but I was disappointed at the lack of information in the porch as to where the key might be obtained. When one has travelled a considerable distance to pay their respects to such an eminent monument to Christianity, it tends to make one feel that their interest is not welcome. However, having, as I do, strong feelings for this church and not wishing to appear boorish, I refuse to end this account on a churlish note.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Apart from being extremely cold, the day was overcast, so I used a strong warm-up filter to boost the colour; and the branches of the tree to help fill a rather large area of blank sky. Under the circumstances I was satisfied with the result and felt, the key apart, that I had achieved what I went for.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-20380732977818421232010-10-28T14:25:00.000+01:002010-10-28T14:25:17.606+01:00St. Nicholas, Pluckley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsjMgP1uMbAVyd8D9znRI8HtAjo02VmG7zriS7xz7MQePGLfPkT4C8ZQE6zBxogaXiov1z0NqMqKuc8w1aIKf6KKb57x_iV8uAzBp1K63wZvVeMGtK7754mH35ze3KBlAg4YdHGwGpTyT/s1600/Pluckley,+St.Nicholas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsjMgP1uMbAVyd8D9znRI8HtAjo02VmG7zriS7xz7MQePGLfPkT4C8ZQE6zBxogaXiov1z0NqMqKuc8w1aIKf6KKb57x_iV8uAzBp1K63wZvVeMGtK7754mH35ze3KBlAg4YdHGwGpTyT/s320/Pluckley,+St.Nicholas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The biggest problem when visiting this charming little hill-top village is finding somewhere to park the car. Pluckley featured heavily in the hugely successful dramatisation of H.E. Bates' "The Darling Buds of May". This has inevitably led to a large influx of sightseers and visitors, particularly in the summer months. Good news no doubt for the village traders, less so I suspect for the residents of this otherwise tranquil little outpost in the beautiful Weald of Kent. The redbrick cottages are mainly 19th century, with the quaint schoolhouse dating from 1849. The cottage windows are unusual, having two arched-lights. They are known as Dering windows after Sir Edward Dering (1807-1896), who had them fitted to his own house, and in the buildings on his estate. His fancy that they brought him good luck was tenuously based on the legend of a Sir Edward Dering, a Royalist supporter, who supposedly escaped from the Roundheads through one such window during the Civil War. The only building that seems to have avoided their inclusion is the church itself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> St. Nicholas, of 13th-14th century date, is a very pretty church which adorns its village like the distinguished elder that it is. Built of ragstone, it has a 13th century chancel; west tower with a recessed shingled spire; and a nave rebuilt in the 14th century with the addition of a south aisle. The south chapel, named after the Dering family, was added by Richard Dering in 1475, and is separated from the church by two outstandingly beautiful screens. One is probably contemporary with the chapel's construction, the other was added in 1635. There are several brasses to be seen inside, including seven (three in the nave, four in the south chapel) to members of the Dering family said to date between 1425 and 1610. According to John Newman these are all "ingenious forgeries," installed in the church from 1628-35 by Sir Edward Dering (our Cavalier friend) as testimony to his family origins. The bounder! There are two windows worth seeing. Designed by Francis Stephens and John Hayward in 1954, they have a strong emphasis on local objects such as oast houses, and even the church itself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Pluckley's other claim to fame is that it is, reputedly, the most haunted village in Britain. It is not known how many ghosts walk the village, but they include a schoolmaster who hanged himself; a mysterious Red Lady searching for her child among the gravestones in the churchyard; and an old Gypsy watercress seller who burned to death when she dropped her clay pipe on her straw bedding. Reflecting on the lovely "chocolate-box" church and, that one only has to walk a few hundred yards to the edge of the village to enjoy beautiful views across the Weald, it seems something of a perversity that it is better known these days as a backdrop to a popular television programme. Such is the way of the world I suppose.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-53029464447256773132010-10-27T19:37:00.026+01:002010-10-27T20:21:26.751+01:00St. Mary, Eastwell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtt9Xc9Wcx_aefFcgHrtpmWnCdxpm0vU2jMjJMXOEPK2zdmthMOTseMkPK5LbNPx5OMstU6GtHOdOPKPorrP1xJF5469xSu-1WIVVAoLOZC46X2PqH6X2Uqy06w_3A_627ujfpyK2keXu/s1600/EASTWELL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtt9Xc9Wcx_aefFcgHrtpmWnCdxpm0vU2jMjJMXOEPK2zdmthMOTseMkPK5LbNPx5OMstU6GtHOdOPKPorrP1xJF5469xSu-1WIVVAoLOZC46X2PqH6X2Uqy06w_3A_627ujfpyK2keXu/s320/EASTWELL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Eastwell church, or what is left of it, stands about one mile to the north of the magnificent gates to the once great estate of Eastwell Park. The large ornamental reed-covered lake is inhabited with water fowl, and the old deer park now converted to farmland, and here amid this romantic setting - looking rather forlorn and mysterious - sits the ruin of St. Mary's, like a classic illustration from one of M.R James' ghost stories. All that is left of the original building is the west tower and the shell of a window beside it, but the most significant remnant is found standing pathetically alone, surrounded by rubble, in what would probably have been the north wall of the chancel. It is a stone tomb with the inscription: <em>'Reputed to be The Tomb of Richard Plantagenet 22 December 1550.' </em>He was the illegitimate son of Richard III, and his story came to light in the 18th century when the Earl of Winchelsea was examining the Parish Register. He found an entry "Richard Plantagenet was buried the 22nd daye of December 1550."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWduV3gvFsaoKH3upHWF761W2aNx0tX4jgiV30vg01XnixTAOurb98JOQeNv-tGCFkCDiipdAKv6H9hiSbG4FQDAjhvvjPbN_N39pvUyr6zHE4ZizLW_y8tIIo9EtLg9V_sJyPi25Xrgu7/s1600/EASTWELL.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWduV3gvFsaoKH3upHWF761W2aNx0tX4jgiV30vg01XnixTAOurb98JOQeNv-tGCFkCDiipdAKv6H9hiSbG4FQDAjhvvjPbN_N39pvUyr6zHE4ZizLW_y8tIIo9EtLg9V_sJyPi25Xrgu7/s320/EASTWELL.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tomb of Richard Plantagenet</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> When Eastwell was being rebuilt in 1540 the owner, Sir Thomas Moyle, observed that during his breaks, one of the bricklayers would often be reading a book which he hid whenever anyone approached. He came upon him unobserved one day and found that the book was in Latin. Puzzled by this, he questioned him about it. The bricklayer told him that he had been brought up by a nurse whom he had taken to be his mother and, when still young, had been sent away to a Latin master and taught to read and write. His only visitor was a gentleman who came occasionally to pay his board and keep. When sixteen, the same gentleman took him on a journey. They rode to Leicester and, on Bosworth Field, he was taken to the tent of King Richard. The King, embracing him, told him that he was his father, and that the next day he had to fight for his crown. He told the boy that, if defeated, he would be sure to lose his life and that if this happened, never to reveal his identity, as he would be in danger too. The King gave him a purse of gold and, the next day, kept his date with destiny. Following his father's defeat, the boy had himself apprenticed to a bricklayer, and eventually came to Eastwell where he worked and lived until his death at the age of eight-one in a small cottage that he built just east of the church - now long since gone.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I felt strangely moved, standing here in the ruins by this lonely tomb picturing the quiet, dignified man (the last of the Plantagenets), living his life in obscurity here as a simple mason. It also shed fresh light on Richard III, whose actions as a caring father seem completely at odds with the monstrous picture Shakespeare painted of him. It makes one wonder if he simply suffered a bad press.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-31824570198548509392010-10-26T14:27:00.000+01:002010-10-26T14:27:04.423+01:00St. Mary, Chilham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIm17UjumH2attJB5P7Ev76Nnug5rUbYTZxCsRdmqVC48bu3s6eIFixdBY2bx6wuh-x5xI79fwO9X6fa2ruSuBnJBYyc2wlgbC1VxdgjcaMbq6vWGI7fBVeaarL15UrIOojZnVOg9v5yI/s1600/Chilham,+St.Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIm17UjumH2attJB5P7Ev76Nnug5rUbYTZxCsRdmqVC48bu3s6eIFixdBY2bx6wuh-x5xI79fwO9X6fa2ruSuBnJBYyc2wlgbC1VxdgjcaMbq6vWGI7fBVeaarL15UrIOojZnVOg9v5yI/s320/Chilham,+St.Mary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The first bombs of World War II are said to have fallen on Chilham though, thankfully, not on the village itself. Had they have done so, we would not have the delightful village square we see before us today, which is reputed to be the most perfect in Kent. The village, castle, and church are situated on high ground around the square, with the church and the 15th century White Horse Inn to the north; the castle gates to the south; and the east and west sides taken up with a mixture of brick and timber-framed buildings. The whole thing is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, and has been used as a film set on several occasions. It is a real "tourist-trap" and is generally heaving with humanity during the summer weekends.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> St. Mary's is a large church, which plays a major role in the compelling picture here. Constructed wholly of flint, and dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, it has a clerestoried nave with aisles; north and south transepts; a chancel with aisles; and a two-storeyed porch. The west tower has an octagonal stair-turret and a clock face that is two-hundred years old. The church is entered through the foot of the tower and not, as we might suppose, the south porch. The interior was heavily restored in the 19th century, and is highly regarded for its quality. We find some medieval stained glass - believed to represent the Popes of the day; many ledger stones paving the floor; and two quite outstanding monuments. One of polished Bethersden marble is to Sir Dudley Digges, a former owner of Chilham Castle and Master of the Rolls to James I; and another to the Hardy children (d.1858), pictures them reading "The Babes in the Wood" surrounded by their toys. Originally made for the castle, it was presented to the church in 1919.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There is a story that St. Augustine's remains were moved here after the dissolution of his abbey, and that his tomb was defiled and his bones scattered by the powers-that-be of Canterbury Cathedral, who were afraid that Chilham might have become a more important place of pilgrimage. There doesn't appear to be any firm evidence to support this story, although there is an extremely old-looking stone coffin (empty!) to be found in the church which certainly looks old enough to qualify. If true, he couldn't have had a more idyllic setting in which to rest his bones - even if only for a short time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The photograph used here was not taken on my initial visit, as the churchyard was occupied by lager-swilling "yuppies." It was a living example of Chilham's problem - a peaceful village often spoiled by its own attraction. No doubt, however, the innkeeper would be inclined to disagree.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-30474476352899257922010-10-25T15:32:00.017+01:002010-10-25T15:54:09.607+01:00St. Mary Magdalene, Denton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcICPsI2COy3mHKF2aQe4U3DCJYSAXc5oJJAbWX6TD91EWaa-a4vF59TSTV0SBGsRX5ZuSaEoHPseWR5bCnTi8FyOJKfm3Ozej9pKhOwikq_GhyphenhyphenRimcIH_Dlcdg2bTKaYIUnZ9u3FhlJo/s1600/Denton+in+Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcICPsI2COy3mHKF2aQe4U3DCJYSAXc5oJJAbWX6TD91EWaa-a4vF59TSTV0SBGsRX5ZuSaEoHPseWR5bCnTi8FyOJKfm3Ozej9pKhOwikq_GhyphenhyphenRimcIH_Dlcdg2bTKaYIUnZ9u3FhlJo/s320/Denton+in+Spring.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Syms observes that anyone who manages to find this church deserves a prize. How right he is! It is reached by entering the private drive of Denton court, and one feels like a trespasser until, halfway up, one spots the small turnstile gate at the edge of a crop field with a sign "to Denton church." The church is found in the middle of a copse, a short walk across the field, amid gentle rolling downland which must rate as some of the loveliest countryside in East Kent. Spring was truly in the air this day (glorious sunshine and heavy rain showers), with sheep grazing in the fields with their new-born lambs, and daffodils and primroses in the churchyard.<br />
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</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, states that there was a Saxon church here then, but nothing remains of that now. St. Mary's today is mostly of simple early 13th century build, wholly of flint, with nave; lower chancel; and an un-buttressed west tower. Apparently, two 15th century bells remain of a former peal of three bells, and Denton used to have a unique system of bell-tolling to announce a death in the parish. The knell was 3x3 for a man; 3x2 for a woman; 2x3 for a male under twenty; and 2x2 for a female under twenty; but the practice died out about two hundred years ago. On entering the church,, I noticed the pilgrim's crosses on the jambs of the north doorway, and in the chancel a noteworthy memorial to a John Boyes Esq., (d.1543) Attorney-General for the Duchy of Lancaster, and former owner of Denton Court. In the chancel floor can be seen a well-worn ledger stone to Sir Anthony Percival (d.1646), and Dame Gertrude, his Lady (d.1647). The verse inscribed thereon begins: <em> 'Behold the ashes of a worthy knight!" </em>A point of interest to me was the list of recorded rectors on the nave wall. Sometime between the years 1520 and 1550 - the list didn't specify exactly - a former incumbent was a Peter Dalton. Although unlikely to be a direct relation, if one takes the broad view, all people sharing the same surname are probably loosely related somewhere down the line - however remotely.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjTRbxQe9xIeZjRDCl0bDGi_-RJHxvzXnpMqhKPsCaeXsqzpBEIBAvUsr7RSHb7zw8Y0P2Ahg2WijxsJRYhVRqI2TsmdZNl_Cuddz_ehn5IRIfxZyEvfeT0oVdmQwPwY9LQJzI7H_TEGj/s1600/Tappington+Hall+(Family+home+of+Rev.R.H.Barham).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; height: 323px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 219px;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjTRbxQe9xIeZjRDCl0bDGi_-RJHxvzXnpMqhKPsCaeXsqzpBEIBAvUsr7RSHb7zw8Y0P2Ahg2WijxsJRYhVRqI2TsmdZNl_Cuddz_ehn5IRIfxZyEvfeT0oVdmQwPwY9LQJzI7H_TEGj/s320/Tappington+Hall+(Family+home+of+Rev.R.H.Barham).jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tappington Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> About a mile from the church, set in a picturesque fold in the downs, is Tappington Hall. This beautiful Jacobean farmhouse is the former family home of Richard Harris Barham, better known as Thomas Ingoldsby the author of the "Ingoldsby Legends." The most famous of the Legends, "The Spectre of Tappington" clearly refers to the farm here, and tells of a former owner - a Bad Sir Giles - who welcomed a stranger who disputed the ownership of the house. Following an evening of feasting and drinking, the stranger retired to his bed and was found in the morning "a swollen and blackened corpse." Considering the nature of many of the Legends, and the church in its lonely copse, it seems somehow appropriate that the two buildings are virtually neighbours. As Syms succinctly put it, (here is) "a church and setting that cry out for a ghost story." Absolutely!</div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-33248176624147367762010-10-24T13:54:00.000+01:002010-10-24T13:54:31.343+01:00St. Clement, Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbm0inooU-SW3EUEm5QdZNxvJGW-tphY_Fuo25RmxNaE4u4LWEBPmlFAoOX9ANKgHpmbZd_OiBIP1mYgqWOgQRFKAC8NkdFTMO8HmyAmZVi2xZ4RKcWH5DHblbQ0k_3o4yks14E5oLqQh/s1600/Sandwich+-+St.Clement(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbm0inooU-SW3EUEm5QdZNxvJGW-tphY_Fuo25RmxNaE4u4LWEBPmlFAoOX9ANKgHpmbZd_OiBIP1mYgqWOgQRFKAC8NkdFTMO8HmyAmZVi2xZ4RKcWH5DHblbQ0k_3o4yks14E5oLqQh/s320/Sandwich+-+St.Clement(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Michael McNay ("Red Guide to Kent") asks: "Is this the loveliest town in England?" I wouldn't know, but it certainly rates as one of the most historic, so much so that you can almost taste it! Sandwich was the most important of the Cinque Ports in the Middle Ages, being England's most powerful naval base and chief port for the export of wool. Its three parish churches confirmed its prosperity, but St. Clement is the only one still in use as a place of worship, and which still retains its original tower. By the 16th century the harbour had silted up and the town faced financial ruin, but the Protestant cloth-workers from Holland and France returned it to affluence after settling here in the late 1500's The Dutch influence can still be seen here today, and in much of the county's architecture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> In keeping with such an historical heritage, one would expect St. Clement to possess a comparable persona, and it certainly doesn't disappoint, being considered one of the most impressive churches in Kent. It has an Early English chancel with north and south chapels; a 15th century nave; a two-storeyed porch protecting a door that dates to 1655; 15th century choir stalls with poppeyheads; and an elaborately carved octagonal font (c.1400-06), showing the Tudor Rose with the Arms of the Cinque Ports and of England and France. Keeping the best till last, the tower is a pure delight and is all that remains of the original cruciform church. It is a central tower of Mid-Norman construction, with richly ornamented arcading all around in three tiers, a circular north-west stair turret and battlemented top, and has been described by Pratt-Boorman as "one of the most valuable Norman towers in all England." Becket landed here in 1170 when returning from exile, determined to assert his authority as head of a Church independent of State control. No doubt he would have stopped at St. Clement's - passing through the Fishergate - to give thanks for a safe journey, before moving on to Canterbury and martyrdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> A few years ago I was visiting the church with my wife and youngest daughter, Ria, who asked us what a church was. We replied, I suspect somewhat patronisingly, "It's Jesus' house." While we were looking around, she spent most of the time chatting to an old lady who - it being close to Evensong - was handing out hymn books inside the door. On leaving, Ria suddenly ran back into the church and, re-emerging shortly after, we asked her why she had done this. She replied with a smile, "I went to say goodbye to Jesus' nanny!" Over the years I have spent many pleasant hours in Sandwich, with my family, having picnics by the river and soaking up its timeless flavour, but I think it's this memory as much as any other that cements its place in my affections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-65426492127145783912010-10-23T14:10:00.000+01:002010-10-23T14:10:45.337+01:00St. Peter, Monks Horton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveagz8x20i26t3qemON90SiWJ9yvcdSqe2e9o9nICkKAL4Das-z6jAtgjIfP1VZMA5WfhTD6Xso3qe9s-gIgT61_VAubRJl6Ocb5CIUmkjORG93i5Eu8KvVhNUjpbxizxcxpBOdx_EHn1/s1600/MONKS+HORTON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveagz8x20i26t3qemON90SiWJ9yvcdSqe2e9o9nICkKAL4Das-z6jAtgjIfP1VZMA5WfhTD6Xso3qe9s-gIgT61_VAubRJl6Ocb5CIUmkjORG93i5Eu8KvVhNUjpbxizxcxpBOdx_EHn1/s320/MONKS+HORTON.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There was a church here at the time of the Domesday survey, when Horton (in the Hundred of Stowting) was in the possession of Hugo de Montfort. Almost nothing is known of that church, but it probably stood on the site of today's building. This neat little church is found in its walled churchyard, down a quiet country lane, surrounded by fields below the Downs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The nave and lower chancel is Early English - of flint and stone - with a west bell-gable. There was, originally, a tower and belfry of timber containing four bells, but it was removed when the church was heavily restored in 1847, leaving only a 14th century chancel arch, the remains of the rood-loft stairs outside on the north wall, and a part-13th century font. The original south doorway was built up, but a surviving Mass dial can be seen close-by. It seems such a shame that so many of these ancient buildings were restored so heavily by the Victorian "improvers" - largely losing their original character, however, I suppose we must recognise that without their efforts many of the churches we so love and admire today would probably no longer exist, or at best, would be little more than ruins.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> My visit here, accompanied by my wife and daughter, Ria, coincided with the church Flower Festival. The interior looked wonderful decked out with beautiful flower arrangements interpreting that evergreen hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Opposite the church in the old barn of Horton Court Farm, craft stalls were exhibiting and selling corn-dollies, jams, cakes and dried flowers etc., dispensing welcome refreshments, and demonstrating such crafts as wool-spinning. I must pay tribute to these people who give so much of their time and talents, entirely unpaid, to raise funds in this way. It is a testimony to the love and pride they have in their respective churches, which, I find heart-warming in this age where so many are indifferent to the existence of these ancient buildings. It serves, also, to remind us of a time when they were the focal point of the community, and at the very centre of village life. One cannot help reflecting that perhaps all of our lives might be a little richer were it still so today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The viewpoint of my photograph was not the result of any decision, artistic or otherwise, I literally had no choice. The building was impossible to photograph from the north side, and almost completely obscured from the south by a huge Yew tree, said to be as old as the church itself. I was not unhappy with the result, however, as I feel that it illustrates it to reasonable effect.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322180254054868979.post-53316584309786060082010-10-22T21:07:00.001+01:002010-10-23T22:55:14.295+01:00St. Mary, Minster-in-Thanet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwumWR3tCKWQPYrmaHZd9bM1eMQpjYR5MmtGF8nl0dVKfTmbcgXUDF7AZWH2oy3Qqgf-gvHehziw90G3t3bVrNivkyq7MEc0jrbNeuPSgi6FAXSlGIqCljIH0L4jepNR8Wov1BUiXC_Jd/s1600/Minster-I-Thanet+-+St.Mary+the+virgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwumWR3tCKWQPYrmaHZd9bM1eMQpjYR5MmtGF8nl0dVKfTmbcgXUDF7AZWH2oy3Qqgf-gvHehziw90G3t3bVrNivkyq7MEc0jrbNeuPSgi6FAXSlGIqCljIH0L4jepNR8Wov1BUiXC_Jd/s320/Minster-I-Thanet+-+St.Mary+the+virgin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> No narrative of this monumental parish church can rightly commence without first recounting the legend of Minster's original Abbey, founded in the year 669 AD. The manor was held by the Saxon King of Kent, Egbert. His two nephews were his heirs, and the suggestion was put to him by one of his thanes, Thunnor, that they would try to usurp his throne. Thunnor suggested that it would be better to do away with them, and offered to take care of it himself. Egbert agreed but, after the deed was done, was filled with remorse. He asked the Archbishop of Canterbury how he could atone for the murders, and was told to found an abbey for the boys' sister, Ermenburga, Queen of Mercia. Egbert complied, and asked her how much land she would need. She replied that she would need as much land as her pet hind could cover in one run. The animal was let loose but Thunnor, in an attempt to scare it off, rode across its path and, according to legend, was lost when the earth opened up and swallowed him. The spot where this is said to have happened is a pit on the hill above the village of Eastry which, to this day, is known as "Thunnor's Leap."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UaWGDTNSdYQacaRyMthqbRmonL8_YB-C3_kOZYalgnRITBvgcdoYcco2D_nr8n-i3IlXI71A1PWRV0Un6gC7t64mJ32ojX7oM2tesbo6XqaQdyZaAIoHxke-E-5ckH7uwI5PbztYHVGx/s1600/MInster+Abbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UaWGDTNSdYQacaRyMthqbRmonL8_YB-C3_kOZYalgnRITBvgcdoYcco2D_nr8n-i3IlXI71A1PWRV0Un6gC7t64mJ32ojX7oM2tesbo6XqaQdyZaAIoHxke-E-5ckH7uwI5PbztYHVGx/s320/MInster+Abbey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minster Abbey </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Ermenburga's abbey was built at Minster, and she took the religious name of Domneva, first Abbess of Minster. Her daughter, Mildred, succeeded her, becoming the most famous local saint after Augustine, and is still regarded today as the Patron Saint of Thanet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> St. Mary's today is the grand result of a gradual rebuilding of an earlier Saxon church, the remains of which may be seen in the square south-east turret, and the reused Roman tiles in the quoins low down in the tower. The work began in 1150 with the Norman tower, north and south transepts, and nave with aisles; and ended in 1230 with the Early English chancel. Unfortunately, the original spire was brought down in the Great Storm of October 1987, and replaced with one of those awful ribbed spires encountered earlier in this journal at Elham. Many of the ledger stones that paved the gangway between the pews have been moved outside and flank the churchyard path, presumably effected during the restorations of 1861-3, or later in the 1970's.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The church houses a set of eighteen 15th century choir stalls, with misericords, and an ancient muniment chest. Some say that it was William the Conqueror's treasure chest, or, that it was brought to Minster full of rations for Cromwell's troops. Syms remarks that it is "certainly old enough for either flight of fancy." Whatever, it seems an appropriately ancient relic to be found in this fine church, whose genesis can be traced back to the 7th century - and the dark days of yore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0