Church of St Laurence

Church of St Laurence, The Moor

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1120819
Date first listed:
20-Jun-1967
List Entry Name:
Church of St Laurence
Statutory Address:
Church of St Laurence, The Moor
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Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.
Date:
1999-07-28
Reference:
IOE01/00732/19
Rights:
© Mr John Hunt. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1120819
Date first listed:
20-Jun-1967
List Entry Name:
Church of St Laurence
Statutory Address 1:
Church of St Laurence, The Moor

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
Church of St Laurence, The Moor

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Kent
District:
Tunbridge Wells (District Authority)
Parish:
Hawkhurst
National Grid Reference:
TQ 75596 29449

Details

TQ 7429-7529
18/364

HAWKHURST
THE MOOR (south side)
Church of St Laurence

20.6.67

GV
I
Parish church. C14 and mid C15, restored and extended 1849 by R C Carpenter, 1853-1859 by W Slater, and 1955-1957. Squared sandstone with plain tiled roofs. Chancel with chapels, eastern sacristy, nave with aisles and north and south porches and western tower.

Two stage tower with offset angle buttresses, string course and corbel table to battlements, and with south-eastern stair turret. clock faces to north and south, two-light belfry openings and renewed west window over hollow moulded western doorway. Attached to south of tower a railed area with chest tomb.

South aisle rebuilt C19, with plinth, offset buttresses, corbel table and Perpendicular style fenestration. Fine south porch, with wood and iron twist railed gates, with wave-moulded outer doorway, hollow chamfered inner doorway, vaulted ceiling and stair-vice. South chapel roof stepped down, with plinth, buttresses, corbel table and battlements, restored Perpendicular windows, blocked southern door, and restored Reticulated east window. Very fine chancel east window of two paired lights and centre single to ogee head with centre enclosing sexfoil, with cusped cinquefoil gable light and cross finial. Projecting low sacristy.

North chapel with earlier rubble walling to base, with segmentally headed decorated windows and added battlements separated by octagonal stair-vice from conventionally Perpendicular north aisle, with north porch with roll and hollow moulded doorways and hollow chamfered door to newel stair to upper floor.

Interior: tall tower arch on octagonal responds with chamfered arch and double hollow chamfered surround. Four bay arcades, with double chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. Renewed truss rafter roof.

South aisle with moulded cross-beamed roof, eastern window reveal taken down to floor level, hollow chamfered south door (besides porch entry) and double wave-moulded arch on octagonal responds to south chapel. North aisle with similar arch to north chapel, crenellated cross-beam roof, hollow chamfered rood-stair doors, and eastern window bay reveal brought to ground level. Very high double roll-moulded chancel arch, restored. Chancel with two bay arcades, with rounded double chamfered arches on octagonal piers. Trussed rafter roof. Cross-beamed roofs to chapels.

Fittings: early C17 reredos, panelled with strapwork frieze cornice and enriched fluted pilasters. C19 wood twisted baluster altar rail with enriched moulded rail, and parclose screens, choir stalls etc all c.1859. South chapel with three-bay Perpendicular style screen erected 1922 as World War I monument, and iron scrolled lectern, and early C20 panelled reredos, south chapel with shelved trefoil headed piscina.

Nave with wooden pulpit, with polygonal base, branching stem and polygonal arcaded side panels with intricate wrought iron panelled balustrade. Octagonal Perpendicular font with shields and roses, with wooden font cover of 1960. Aumbry in north aisle.

Monuments: brasses, John Roberts of Elfords, d.1495, with Alice plus 12 children with 18 inch figures; Richard and Margaret Boys, 1572 and 1606, Marie Boys, 1602, Richard Austen, 1610 and Elizabeth Reynolds, with John Avelyn, gent on reverse, 1612, all simple brass inscription plates. Fine series of ledger tablets in north chapel with one to Richard Kilburn, Kentish Historian, in Latin (d.1678).

Cross fashioned out of wooden propellor as memorial to Captain Alwyne Lloyd, d.1917 (Royal Flying Corps). Four standards. South chapel with wall plaques to Samual Boys, d.1753, a simple aedicule with arms over. Nathanial Lardner, DD, 1768, oval, with sunburst and gospel of St James over, shield and palm fronds below (erected 1789). Identical pedimented plaques in south aisle to Jesse (d.1824) and Catherine (d.1819) Gregory. Royal Arms of 1917, contem-porary window glass. Tower with large benefaction boards, mid to late C18. Crudely executed C17 wooden relief of Last Supper, and a copy of Sarto's Holy Trinity on the walls.

Listing NGR: TQ7559529452

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
169714
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newman, J, The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, (1980), 315-6

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St Laurence

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jun-2026 at 22:24:59.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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