Church of St Lawrence

Details

TQ 96 SW BAPCHILD SCHOOL LANE (west side)

2/3 Church of St Lawrence

24.1.67 I

Parish church. C12 with C13 spire, south porch c.1525, restored 1872 and 1883. Flint and rubble with plain tiled roof, brick porch and shingle spire. Nave with north aisle, chancel with north chapel, south tower and south porch. Fenestration of heavily restored C16 Perpendicular windows apart from single round headed west light in north aisle, south-west lancet in aisle and 3 lancets on south wall of chancel. Blocked western window, and remnants of east window of triple round-headed lancets, the centre raised Diagonal buttresses to chancel and chapel, 3 offset buttresses to chapel north wall, 2 hipped dormers to north aisle and blocked northern and western door- ways. South porch with diapered brickwork on weathered and moulded plinth. with bargeboarded gable. South door with strap hinges, dated by graffiti to at least 1596, in double hollow chamfered surrounded. South tower with blocked western doorway and blocked eastern arch; angle vice to west and broach spire. Interior:nave arcade of 4 round unmoulded arches on octagonal piers with scalloped capitals. Central piers is doubled in width. Plastered roof with 2 crown posts. Hollow moulded doorway to south to external vice. Plain chamfered chancel arch. Lean-to north aisle with pointed keel-moulded arch to north chapel, on moulded impost with carved-leaf corbels. Chancel with 3 bay arcade to chapel, pointed keel-rolled arches on round piers with square abaci chamfered at corners with paired and stiffly upright debased acanthus motif. c.1200, based on the 1175 work at Canterbury Cathedral. Remnants of C12 triple east window jambs over C16 east window with capitals of missing attached shafts either side. Part plastered wagon roof. Blocked arched opening to south tower, with double hollow chamfered and role moulded doorway. South tower with blocked eastern arch with piscina, once leading to an apse. North chapel with arcade on north wall, 4 keel-moulded arches on free-standing shafts with waterholding bases and carved leaf capitals. Discontinuous string course decorated with cinquefoils, and evidence of 4 lancet windows to north, blocked and replaced by C16 windows, and blocked and replaced east window originally of lancets. Part plastered part panelled wagon roof. Fittings: angle piscina in north chapel, the frieze of the eastern repsond of chancel arcade is carried back and over the piscina, with 2 roll moulded arches with central shaft, the capital carved as with chancel arcade (the same distinguishing motif used at Doddington, Milstead, Frinsted and Murston churches). Aumbrey in chancel east wall. C13 painted reredos of the Crucifixion in chapel. Restored C15 rood screen now stored in north chapel. C17 octagonal pulpit; brass chandelier of 12 sticks and central torch finial; inscribed: Bapchild 1746. C18 and C19 box pews. Fragentary medieval and C17 paintings, including double orb and date 1989 over chancel arch. Single Perpendicular niche in nave over central arcade pier, sone fragmentary glass and tiles in north chapel, east winsow in chancel by Warrington 1865. (See B.O.E. Kent II, 1983, 132-3).

Listing NGR: TQ9281963081

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

176213

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newman, J, The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent, (1983), 132-133

End of official list entry

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