Grade I Heritage Walk: Walking to Church Of St Peter from The King’s Head — 3.8-Mile Circular via Molash

TR 05 SW MOLASH CHURCH LANE (north side) 3/28 Church of St. Peter 27.11.57 GV I Parish Church. C13 chancel, C14 nave, C15 tower. Restored 1895 by Reginald Blomfield. Flint and rubble and dressed stone quoins and surrounds, red brick in buttresses and top storey of tower and plain tile roof. Nave, chancel, west tower, priest’s room to north west and south porch. Two stage tower on plinth, with angle buttresses and cornice to parapet. Round arched and double-chamfered west doorway with C19 plank and stud door, single lights in each stage over, and round arched brick belfry opening. Nave south wall with 4 buttresses, and 3 windows, 3 light C15 Perp. with 4 centred arched hood mould, 2 light C14 with quatrefoil in head and ogee cusping, 3 light C15 Perp. with 6 lights in head and 4 centre arched hood mould. C19 porch of flint, ashlar plinth and dressings, and barge-boarded gable. Inside a part repaired C16 plank and muntin door and external ogee headed water stoup. Chancel south wall with C13 plain chamfered doorway and C19 plank and stud door, single chamfered C13 lancet window and brick and flint buttress. East window C19 3 light C14 style, with 2 brick and flint buttresses; north chancel with one buttress, restored lancet window and 3 light C15 Perp. window with double hollow chamfered surrounds and Kings’ head label stops to 4 centre arched hood mould. North nave wall with 3 offset buttresses. One C14 2 light window with quatrefoil in head and glass removed, the 3 light early C14 ‘Y’-traceried window with dagger cusping, and one 2 light C15 Perp. with crown-like tracery in head and glass removed. Projecting from nave to west a C15 priest’s room with single light C15 Perp. window and label over, and brick chimney to right. Interior: nave west door in ribbed pointed barrel vault below tower, with plain chamfered doorway, and C19 plank door in hollow chamfered north-west doorway to priest’s room remnants of rood stair to east. Barrell- trussed roof with 3 tall crown posts on large ties. Chancel narrower and lower ceiling than nave, therefore with plastered gable to nave. The C19 east window inserted into deeper and higher original reveal 3 bay crown post roof. Fittings: piscina with shouldered flat head; carved head wall barckets each side of chancel along line of altar rails – to carry Lenten Veil . Screen C19 from Eastwell church and cut to fit of 2½ bays each side of central arch. C17 pulpit. Romanesque front (square) on renewed base. Fragmentary wall paintings on nroth nave wall and south chancel wall. Medieval glass removed for restoration at time of inspection. Monuments: medieval stone coffin lid set before the altar,C17 vault cover in nave, stone slab with 4large metal rings for Chapman family, signs of lost brass. (see B.U.E. Kent,II, 396). Listing NGR: TR0261352063