Details
TR 03 NE SELLINDGE MAIN ROAD
(South Side)
2/85 Church of St Mary
29.12.66
GV I
Parish church. Late C11, C12 and C13, restored mid-to-late C19. Ragstone,
with plain tile roofs. West tower, nave, chancel, continuous north chapel
and north aisle, north porch, north vestry to tower. West tower: late C11
or C12. No plinth. Large diagonal south-west buttress. No stages.
Pyramidal spire with weathervane. One round-headed louvred belfry light to
each of west and north faces, and 2 smaller to east. South belfry window
with segmental head. Narrower round-headed light below north belfry light
and small lancet to south. 2-light west window with trefoil-headed lights
and squared hoodmould. Low west doorway with Segmental head of small even
voussoirs springing from chamfered imposts. Nave: probably C11. No plinth.
2 south buttresses. South-east corner with un-dressed quoins. 2 sets of
late C18 or early C19 paired rendered red brick lancets to south.
Chancel: late C11 or C12 altered in C13. No plinth. Traces of herringbone
stonework towards west end of south wall. Scroll-moulded string to east end
of south wall, returning to east, and along north wall. 2-light C15 cinque-
foiled and traceried south-west window with hoodmould. 2-light south-east window
in a similar style. Paired lancets to east. Low C19 priest's doorway to
south, with porch. Rainwater head dated 1876. North Chapel: later C13.
Battered plinth. Gabled. Pointed-arched east window of 3 stepped cinquefoil-
headed lights. 2 north windows; one of 2 conjoined trefoil-headed lights, and
one C15, similar to south-west chancel window. North aisle: C13. No plinth.
Late C18 or early C19 paired rendered lancets. North porch: gabled. No
windows. Pointed-arched hollow-chamfered outer doorway and similar, restored,
inner doorway. Bears scratched date 1610. External walls of whole church
incorporate a number of consecration crosses, some probably re-set.
Interior: structure: nave arcade, removed in mid C19 and replaced by bressumer
supported on moulded octagonal post. Stump of plain-chamfered stone arch and
high chamfered impost;remain at east end; probably C13, raised in C15. Pointed,
lightly-chamfered C13 chancel arch springing from chamfered late C11 or C12
imposts. Plain-chamfered arch between north aisle and chapel, abutting stump
of nave arcade and possibly altered in C15. Pointed, plain-chamfered C13 arch
between chancel and chapel, rising from ground without imposts. Pointed,
unchamfered tower arch with late C11 or C12 nicked and chamfered imposts.
Blocked splayed round-headed north window towards base of tower. Blocked
round-headed south doorway. 4-centred arched rood-loft doorway to west end
of chapel, and similar doorway higher up in east wall of aisle. Roof: crown-
post roof to nave; central moulded octagonal crown-post on cambered moulded
tie-beam with braced pendant posts, sous-laces, ashlar-pieces to south and
formerly to north, moulded cornice to south. East and west crown-posts removed.
Common rafter roof to north aisle, with collars, sous-laces; ashlar-pieces and
moulded cornice to north, and formerly to south. Similar, but later, roof to
north chapel. Moulded octagonal medieval crown-post to chancel, on moulded
tie-beam; rest restored in C19. Fixtures and fittings: trefoil-headed stoup
with broach stops and ring-moulded front to bowl, to east end of south wall
of chancel. Consecration crosses, some probably C19. Stained glass: fragments
of medieval glass to tracery of south-west window of chancel. East window of
north chapel, Transfiguration, by Gibbs, to memory of George Paine, d. 1858,
and Mary, d. 1863. Monuments: tomb recess to north wall of-north aisle with
chamfered segmental head. Monument to Ralph Heyman, d. 1601, and wife Anne,
under moulded 4-centred arch with hoodmould between chancel and north chapel;
alabaster chest on stone plinth with chamfered black marble lid, each face
with raised rectangular panel flanked by plain pilasters with heraldic shields.
Alabaster figure of man kneeling at foot of chest, (formerly upon chest).
Heraldic shields on opposed walls of recess, above tomb chest, that to east
with inscription surviving below; apparently to Peter Heyman and Elizabeth Till,
parents of Ralph, and to William Norton and Elizabeth Wingfield, parents of
Anne. Monument on north wall of north chapel to Thomas Godfrey, d. 1664;
alabaster, with oval inscription panel set on raised rectangular ground with
shields and cherubs, flanked by Corinthian columns. Moulded consoled plinth
with swagged base panel, moulded cornice, and double open-topped segmental
pediment with achievements (J. Newman, B.O.E. series, West Kent and the Weald,
1980. The Rev. P. Jaquet (ed) Sellindge and Its Parish Church, 1976).
Listing NGR: TR1066937910
