Details
STAPLEHURST HIGH STREET
TQ 74 SE (East side)
3/107 Church of
23.5.67 All Saints
GV I
Parish church. Late C12, C13, C14 and C15, with alterations of 1853 and 1876.
Roughly-coursed sandstone, with ragstone and sandstone dressings. Graduated
sandstone to tower. Plain tile roofs. West tower, nave, south aisle, south
porch, south chancel chapel continuous with nave and flush with east end of
chancel. Site of anchorite's cell to north of chancel. West tower: C15.
Three stages, on chamfered plinth. North-west and south-west angle
buttresses, and single north buttress. Battlemented above moulded and
gargoyled string. Window of 2 trefoil-headed louvred lights with squared
hoodmould, to each face of belfry. Single trefoil-headed light with
squared hoodmould to all but east face of middle stage. 3-light pointed-
arched and traceried west window with hoodmould. Moulded pointed-arched
west doorway flanked by engaged shafts with moulded capitals and bases, set
in square-headed cavetto-moulded architrave with shields in quatrefoils to
spandrels and with lion rampant to shield over door; squared moulded
hoodmould with carved heads of bishop and king to label stops. Quadrilateral
south-east stair turret, becoming octagonal at belfry stage and rising above
tower with plain stone coping and short shingled spirelet with weathervane.
South aisle: of late C12 origin, with C13, C14 and C19 alterations. No
visible plinth. Diagonal south-west buttress, and 2 south buttresses.
Gabled. 2-light west window with ogee cinquefoil-headed lights, quatrefoil
in an ogival, and hoodmould. Three C19 three-light pointed-arched south
windows above a string. Porch: C13, set towards centre of south aisle.
No visible plinth. Gabled, with shaped kneelers. Tall pointed-arched
outer doorway with plain-chamfered head and unchamfered jambs. C18 spear-
head railings about 5 feet high set across doorway, with gate flanked by
scrolled supports to centre. No side lights. Continuous stone bench with
wooden seat within porch to each side. Uncollared roof with slender moulded
octagonal crown post set on cambered tie-beam, and with scissor braces
crossing immediately above collar purlin; ashlar-pieces and doubly-chamfered
wooden cornice. Tall C13 pointed-arched plain-chamfered inner doorway with
broach stops, with rare C12 boarded door made for round-headed doorway and
cut down to fit C13 arch. C12 and C13 decorative ironwork to door with 5
tendrilled straps, C hinges with bestial heads, fish and a fishing boat, a
flying dragon with snake and crescent, crosses, and other motifs (see
Zarnecki, Holt and Holland (ed), English Romanesque Art 1066-1200
(exhibition catalogue), 1984). South chancel chapel: C13 origins, rebuilt
in C15. Roughly-coursed ironstone interspersed with ragstone blocks, and
with ragstone dressings. High chamfered plinth. Higher eaves and lower
ridge than nave. Diagonal south-east buttress and 2 south buttresses. C15
pointed-archer traceried 3-light south-west window with hoodmould. Similar
restored south-east window. Traceried 4-light east window with cinquefoil-
headed lights and hoodmould. Small hollow-chamfered pointed-arched south-
west doorway with broach stops and hoodmould. Chancel: C13, possibly with
earlier origins. No visible plinth. Tall 5-light east window with trefoil-
headed lights, trefoiled and quatrefoiled tracery, and hoodmould. Small
blocked rectangular light above. Two early C14 north windows, one 2-light,
one single-light, with depressed ogee cinquefoiled-headed lights and
reticulated tracery. Slightly later 2-light north-west window. Squint,
rectangular to outside, circular towards inside, between the two early C14
windows,and formerly communicating between chancel and anchorite's cell.
Second, much smaller squint beside it, possibly for alms. Nave: C12.
Roughly coursed ragstone rubble with occasional bands of herringbone
stonework. No visible plinth. 2 north buttresses. Two 2-light C19
windows to east and one to west of projecting 1876 stone organ chamber.
Railings: C18 or early C19 painted iron spear-head railings on low stone
plinth, running east from south-east corner of porch, returning to east end
of south aisle, and surrounding Usborne family tombs. Interior: structure:
5-bay south arcade to nave of doubly plain-chamfered pointed arches,
springing from late C12 and C13 piers and columns, semi-octagonal west end
pier with square abacus and spurred base, then 4 alternating circular and
octagonal columns with moulded capitals; first, second and fourth from
west with water-holding bases, third (circular) column from west with
spurred base. East half of fourth column, east end pier and arch rebuilt
in C14. Three-bay C13 south arcade to chancel, with 2 circular columns
with moulded capitals and water-holding bases, and doubly plain-chamfered
pointed arches dying into walls. C15 tower arch with engaged columns with
moulded capitals and bases, and trebly hollow-chamfered pointed arch.
Chancel arch and arch between south aisle and south chancel chapel 1853,
in a late medieval style. Rere-arch of central window of south aisle
springs from slender engaged shafts. Hollow-chamfered pointed-arched
doorway with broach stops to tower stair turret. Doubly plain-chamfered
pointed-arched doorway to rood-loft stairs at east end of north wall of
nave, with similar doorway to top of stairs above. Rectangular embrasure
for roof-loft access high above east end of nave arcade. Roof: C19
barrel roof to nave with moulded pendant posts on carved stone corbels.
Largely medieval crown-post roof to south aisle, with 6 moulded octagonal
crown-posts, sous-laces, and ashlar-pieces. South chancel chapel has late
medieval wagon roof with curved ashlar-pieces and sous-laces, and in which
side purlins and collar purlin are moulded with thick central roll with
leaf chamfer-stops. Roof is punctuated by 5 principal trusses (including
end trusses) with short moulded spurs or hammer-beams on solid-spandrel
brackets, supporting curved braces (placed in front of shortened curved
ashlar-pieces) rising to side purlins, and thence to collar purlin. These
additional braces are moulded like the purlins. A flat-faced rectangular
boss is formed at each junction of braces and purlins. Moulded wooden
cornice. C19 wagon roof to chancel. Fixtures and fittings: trefoil-
headed stoup with broach stops to east side of south door. Stoup with
depressed ogee head with carved foliage to borders, beside doorway to
south chancel chapel. Hollow-chamfered pointed-arched tomb recess with
broach stops to south wall of aisle. Defaced rectangular stone font on 4
short later shafts. 16 early C16 wooden panels set in tower ceiling, carved
with shears, staples, pomegranate etc. Brass chandelier to nave dated 1808.
Royal arms of 1764 under tower, and late C19 Benefactors and Parish Fees
boards. Monuments: tablet on south wall of south aisle to Henry Hoare,
d.182(8?) Ionic columns on plain corniced plinth, with plain frieze and
moulded triangular pediment with antefixae. Tapering inscription panel
between columns, and grey back plate. Tablet on east wall of south chancel
chapel to John Diamond, d.1800. Rectangular marble tablet with bell consoles
and moulded cornice surmounted by woman in relief with urn. Free-standing
chest tomb in south chancel chapel to Walter Mayney, d.1577, and 2 wives.
Bethersden marble, with moulded plinth and recessed moulded side panels.
Plain stone top in darker stone, formerly with 3 brasses of which one, of
a wife, remains. (J. Newman, Buildings of England Series, West Kent and
the Weald, 1980. Church Guide 1975.)
Listing NGR: TQ7857343021
