Grade I Heritage Walk: Walking to Church Of St Mary from The King’s Head — 4.3-Mile Circular via Chilham

TR 0653-0753 CHILHAM 7/13 Church of St. Mary 27.ll.57 GV I Parish church. C14 transepts, C15 nave, west tower 1534, chancel of 1863 by David Brandon. Cl9 south porch. Knapped flint. coursed in chancel, ashlar quoins and dressings throughout. Tower west wall in alternate blocks of flints and tiles. Plain tile roof. West tower, nave with aisles, transepts, triple chancel, south porch. Exterior: 3 stage tower, with 4 stage offset angle buttresses, weathered plinth and string course to battlements. South east octagonal and battlemented stair turret. South aisle with angle buttresses, rendered plinth and string- course to battlements. Clerestorey to nave. Two storey south porch, circular stair turret in west angle with aisle. South transept with angle buttresss, no plinth, exposed wall plate on corbels to west wall. Triple chancel of 3 gables, coursed flint on flint and ashlar plinth with angle buttresses. North transept knapped coursed flint with angle buttresses of 1863? Chimney stack in west angle with north aisle. Aisle with angle buttress and 2 intermediate buttresses, and string course to battlements. Clerestory to nave. West window C19 3 light Perp. style, with single light and label over. South tower wall has large wooden clock face north wall with Perp 2 light belfry opening. South-west and north west windows both C15 Perp. two-light with 4 lights over and drip mould. South aisle windows C19 copies of the Perp. south-west window, either side of south porch. Porch C19 Perp. style single lights west and east, and 2 light and label to south wall over door. South transept. West window C14 2-light with spherical triangle in apex, south window C14 3-light y-traceried, east window 3 light, C16? Canted four-centred arch with drip mould, no tracery. Chancel south wall with two C19 geometric style 2 light and trefoiled windows, drip moulds with ball-flower stops. Three C19 curvilinear style east windows, 2 of 3 light, with ball-flower stops to drip moulds. Centre of 5 lights and rose, with crowned heads for stops. North chancel wall identical to south -wall. North transept with C19 dec. style 2 light east window, C19 cusped ‘y’-traceried 31ight north window, and C14 west window, of two lights with hollow-sided hexagon at head. North aisle with 3 C15 Perp. 2 light and 3 lights over, in segmental arches, with drip moulds over. 3 Clerestory windows to north and south, all C15 Perp. 2 lights. Panelled plank and stud west door in moulded arch with square head, shields in spandrels, moulded jambs, with coved cornice to label. South door C19 plank door in C15 archway, double hollow chamfer and roll moulding in square-headed frame with quatrefoils in spandrels. North and south chancel walls with identical C19 doors to west, in moulded surrounds with drip moulds, and inscriptions over; south “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”; north “Thou Lord hast never failed them that seek thee”. Interior: heavily chamfered tower arch on half-octagonal piers. 4 bay C15 nave, arcade of octagonal piers, moulded bases and caps, double hollow chamfered arches. Clerestory of 4 windows over, the most easterley to north and south blocked and facing into the transepts. King post roof, with moulded tenoned purlins, ridge plate and tie beams. Corbels carved as angels, kings and beasts support roof posts. Aisles with moulded beams to flat ceiled roofs, and double hollow chamfered arches to transepts. Moulded 4 centred reveals to win- dows and south door. Eastern bay of nave arcade leads directly into transepts. South transept with crown post roof, C19 arch to south east chancel, blocked opening to roof loft – stair. North transept with C19 braced truss roof, 4 centred C19 arch through to north-east chancel. C19 4 centred central chancel arch. Chancel with 3 bay north arcade, octagonal responds, round piers, double chamfered arches, with similar arcade constricted to allow for rood-loft stair. All with scissor-trussed roofs. Fittings: ogee headed piscina in south transept, obscured by organ. Monuments: the chief interest of the church. South-west corner, to the Dick family 1837, signed Beele and Sons, London, but attributed John Brine and Sons (B.O.E. – Kent II, 273). Free- standing altar and tryptich, female figures in pinnacled niches left and right. Cast iron traceried railings with crocketed principles. On south wall, to Frederick Lacy Dick, assasinated 1847, by E. Gaffin, Regent St., white marble slab on scalloped scrolls, surmounted by pensive mourning figure and sarcophagus. Further east,to William Denne d. 1778 and family 1783-1806, white oval plaque on brackets with coat of arms over. On south transept east wall, Sir Thomas Mantel, d. 1831. Richard Westmacott. R.A. London. Mourning woman and urn, pediment over, plain base with two small scallops. South chancel: on south wall, to unnamed member of Fogge family 1626. Bethersden marble. Verses on arched plaque on scrolled brackets, with corinthian capitals carrying frieze, with scrolled medallion and obelisk over. All covered with damasque work. Free standing monument to Mary Kemp, Lady Digges, d. 1631; Nicholas Stone,11 foot (black) marble column with urn, on plinth, with 4 seated female figures on pedestals at each corner – representing Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude. Panels on pedestals and central plinth with texts, east to Lady Digges, north to Rachel (Genesis XXXV), south to the Digges lineage, west to Dudley Digges, builder of Chilham Castle. North chancel, to James Wildman, d. 1816, “the famous wildman monument by Chantrey” (Kelly’s Directory, 1927). Free standing. Scrolled sarcophagus, inscription partially obscured by drapery of mourning woman left, daughter weeping in her lap, son sat on step to right below sarcophagus. Also in north chancel a purbeck marble sarcophagus originally in tombs below north transept. Incised with much mutilated floriate cross. Free standing monument to Arthur and Edmund Hardy d. 1853; Alexander Munro. White marble on red marble plinth 2 boys reading “Illustrated Babes in the Wood”, with childrens’ toys around them. North transept: Thomas Pettitt d. 1625. Wall plague, black marble, white base. 2 columns support entablature, with plinth. North-west corner, Lady Margaret Palmer, d. 1619, sister to Dudley Digges. Bethersden Marble Free standing tomb-chest, with 2 coloured marble panels, 4 corinthian columns carry entablature, with 4 corner obelisks, with central obelisque on enscrolled medallion. All enriched with damasque work, generally similar to ‘Foggys’ monument in south-east chancel. Glass: Mid C15 glass in north aisle window of figures and heraldry. In north and south transepts and chancels, memorial windows of Hardy family to fallen of World War I, by W.T. Tower Coats of Arms: dated 1712 over south door with pediment and scrolls, and C18 lozenge on tower south wall. See B.O.E. Kent II. 1983, pp 271-3. Listing NGR: TR0688553656