Church of St Peter and St Paul

Details

HEADCORN TQ 8344

10/28 Church of St. Peter and 26.4.68 St. Paul

GV I

Parish church. C13, late C14 and C15. Restored 1854-5 and 1868 by Clarke, and 1878 by G.M. Hills. Bethersden marble with plain tile roofs. West tower. Nave, continuous with chancel to south, slightly projecting to north. South aisle, continuous with south chancel chapel, flush with east end of chancel. South porch with parvis chamber. West tower: late C14. Three stages, on moulded plinth . Angle buttresses. Battlements above moulded string. Polygonal north-east stair turret with plain parapet higher than tower. East and west belfry windows of 2 lights with vertical bars, quatrefoil and hoodmould. North and south belfry windows of 3 trefoil-headed lights with squared hoodmould. Single trefoil-headed light to central stage to west and rectangular light with iron bars to north and south. West window of 3 cinquefoil-headed lights with inter- secting tracery incorporating inverted mouchettes. 2-centred arched casement-moulded architrave. Hoodmould with carved heads to label stops and 4 carved grotesques beneath hoodmould. Rectangular panel below window with sunk quatrefoil and shield. 2-centred arched west doorway with casement-moulded architrave, slender moulded shaft to each side, carved spandrels and squared moulded hoodmould with carved heads as label stops. South aisle and south chapel: late C14, chapel with C13 origins, possibly refenestrated in C15. Moulded stone plinth. South-west and south-east angle buttresses. Battlements above moulded string. South aisle has three windows, each of 3 slightly stepped cinquefoil-headed lights and hoodmould; one to west end and one either side of porch. South chapel has three 4-centred arched 2-light windows with hoodmoulds, alternating with buttresses. Low 2-centred arched doorway with renewed architrave. Restored east window of 5 traceried lights with hoodmould. South porch: probably late C14. Moulded stone plinth. Battlements above moulded string. Polygonal north-west stair turret with plain parapet. Small rectangular north and south lights to porch and slightly larger lights with hoodmoulds to chamber. 2-centred arched casement-moulded outer doorway with hoodmould. 2-centred arched Bethersden marble inner doorway, with hoodmould and ribbed door. Chancel: C13 origin. Refenestrated, probably in late C14 or C15. Presently without plinth. Single buttress. Gabled. Tall restored 2-centred arched traceried east window with 3 cinquefoil-headed lights below and 3 above central transom. Hoodmould. Two north windows; that to east set higher with 2 trefoil-headed lights and hoodmould; that to west with moulded architrave, 2 cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of vertical bars, and hoodmould. Nave: north elevation: probably late C14. Moulded plinth, continuous with that of tower. Four 3-light traceried windows (incorporating inverted daggersl,with moulded architraves and hoodmoulds, alternating with buttresses. Interior: structure: 5-bay nave arcade to south of pointed arches with hollow chamfer and semi roll. 2 west arches with lower heads. Octagonal columns, with moulded capitals and bases of Bethersden marble. East column of arcade free-standing, also forming springing for chancel arch, chancel aqcade, and arch between south chapel and south aisle. Chancel arch and arch between chapel and aisle similar to south arcade. 2-bay chancel arcade of plain-chamfered pointed arches. Chamfered rectangular pier with undercut and roll-moulded abacus. Deeply moulded pointed-arched tower arch, with attached shafts, the capitals moulded similarly to those of south arcade. 4-centred arched hollow- chamfered doorway to rood-loft stairs to east end of north wall of nave. 3-centred arched doorway with semi roll moulding to tower stairs. 2- centred arched hollow-chamfered doorway to parvis chamber stairs. Low 4-centred arched hollow-chamfered north doorway to chancel. Small rectangular light to parvis chamber. Roof: Late C14 or early C15 collar- rafter roof to nave of 7 trusses (5½ bays), with moulded aligned butt purlins. Heavily moulded composite solid-spandrel arch-braces to collars, moulding continued down pendant posts. Hollow-chamfered windbraces, with carved spandrels between windbraces and purlins. Above collars, heavy- scantling scissor braces halved across yokes. Ashlar-pieces between bases of scissor-braces and tops of purlins, and between rafters and cornice. Moulded and brattished cornice. Chancel roof boarded in 7 cants. Lean-to roofs to south chapel and aisle. Fittings: Rectangular hollow-chamfered piscina to east end of south wall of south aisle. Similar but larger piscina to east end of south wall of chapel. Cinquefoil-headed piscina to east end of chancel. Octagonal C15 font with carved concave sides, shafted octagonal stem and moulded base on octagonal stone plinth, to south side of south arcade. Screen base partly early C16, with variety of linenfold panelling, and frieze carved differently in each section. Pulpit of 1878 with re-used linenfold panelling. Inlaid hexagonal tester. Painted panels, probably from C17 or C18 reredos, depicting Moses and Aaron. Royal Arms above tower arch. 1787 Benefactors' Board to south wall of nave. 4 boards with Creed and Decalogue to south wall of nave. Decoration: C15 stained glass to heads of north nave and south aisle windows. Monuments: C15 tomb recess towards east end of south wall of south aisle, with Culpeper arms to spandrels; low Bethersden marble table tomb with corniced lid set into recess spanned by broad 4-centred arch, cusped and subcusped, with large leaves over cusps and slender shaft each side with moulded capital and base. Quatrefoiled spandrels and squared moulded and embattled hoodmould. C18 tablet to east wall of chancel, in black and white marble, with moulded plinth on shaped base panel, flanking pilasters, and moulded open-topped pediment with escutcheon. Inscription barely legible at time of re-survey. [J. Newman, B.O.E., West Kent and the Weald, 19801.

Listing NGR: TQ8318244204

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

174254

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newman, J, The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, (1980)

End of official list entry

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