Church of St Laurence

Details

TR 3765 SW
7/192

RAMSGATE
ST LAWRENCE
HIGH STREET (north-west side)
Church of St Laurence

GV
I
Parish Church, foundations 1062; late C12; C15; fenestration and restoration C19 and early C20. Flint with plain tiled roof. Nave and aisles, central tower with transepts chancel and side chapels, the whole in effect three aisles; south, and south eastern porches.

Geometric and Perpendicular style tracery throughout, all of C11 date, the West and East windows 1858. Each plan unit separately roofed. C15 south porch with rendered arch and iron lamp and bracket, with original hollow chamfered rectangular doorway with water stoup adjacent. This doorway, the blocked roll moulded western doorway cut into by the west window are the only early exterior features (down pipes dated 1866 and 1906), apart from the tower, three stages, the lower two, C12 with blind arcading on south and east sides, and two round headed lancets on each face on all sides on second stage. Battlemented top stage added C15.

Interior: three bay arcade to nave with round piers, scalloped capitals and simple pointed arches; the mouldings and cutting finer on north arcade. Roof of two crown posts, restored C19. Aisles with hipped trussed rafter roofs, the south aisle with corbels on nave wall, for earlier roof structure. Simple pointed arch on imposts to south transept, heavy hollow chamfered arch with chamfered surround to north transept. Crossing tower with round piers with recessed hook shafts and spurs, with round arches with roll and wave mouldings on scalloped and voluted capitals. Simple double rebated arches to transepts, with string course carried over whole composition. Four grinning demonic heads are included in the capitals. Transepts with trussed rafter roofs on corbels, that to north transept restored, and C19 double chamfered arches to chancel chapels. Chancel originally with unaisled eastern bay (with jambs of blocked lancet), with arches to chapels, of stone dressed flint, two bays north and south with stop chamfers, hook shafts and trefoiled leaves on capitals. Further C13 arch to south chancel. C15 wooden wagon ceiling with moulded beams and Tudor flower bosses. Most of the planking has been unfortunately removed. South chapel with string course to north wall and original roof of four crown posts. Large double doors to south western porch. North chapel, restored, with separate vestry with exposed jambs of C12 north door to chancel.

Fittings: rebated trecusped piscina in chancel, moulded trecusped piscina with ogee shaped hood on head stops in south chancel, aumbrey in north chapel. Remnants of C15 screen to vestry, of three panels. C19 reredos, reading desks, stalls, lecturn, pews and south chapel screens, C19 Gothic pulpit with open fretwork and statues incorporating reader and C18 hourglass stand. C20 font and rood cross. Glass circa 1866 and east window of 1902.

Brasses. Nicholas Manston, d.1444, brass of man in armour 34 inches long; Joan St. Nicholas, d.1493, 28 inch brass of lady, both reset on wall of south chapel.

Monuments; chancel; fine group of marble floor Plaques, specially to Sprackling family; south chapel: Adam Spencer, d.1745, veined white marble wall plaque, with segmentally shaped head and cornice with urn finial and scrolled sides, with scrolled apron below: Captain Martin Long, d.1751, large white wall monument with scrolled bolection moulded plaque with two cherubs and deaths heads to apron, with segmental pediment and arms cartouche. Margaret Read, d.1753, white Rococo marble wall plaque; with Chinese style swagged pediment shaped top with scrolled and enriched sides to plaque and swagged apron and lively enriched bracket: Henrietta Elizabeth Froude, d.1879. Half-relief of a woman. She was the wife of James Anthony Froude, the great C19 historian; north chapel: Robert Brooke, d.1667, white and black marble wall plaque with cartouche apron with enriched scrolled sides to pedimented top with blocks brought forward with arms cartouche. Reverend Cuthbert Boucher, erected 1788. Oval wall plaque: nave: several early C19 Neo-Classical wall plaques, the best to John, Earl of Dunmore, d.1809, scalloped with draped sides. Gothick recess in western wall to Thomas Noel Hay, d. 1861; north aisle, Catherine Talman, 1731, with segmental pediment and cherub, and Alexander Bryner, 1822, signed H. Cull; half relief sarcophagus and urn; north transept. William Rogerson, d.1782, painted Arms and gadrooned urn on apron with cherub's head and obelisk background; south aisle: Mary Gibson, d.1785, neat plaque, wreathed Arms and festooned plaque on Rococco scrolled base; south transept: small illegible C17 plaque with painted ribband sheaths and shields on sides, enriched swagged base and crested Arms with coronet. Segmental pediment plaque in south porch to Robert (illegible) early C18. Eleven hatchments throughout church, charity board in south porch, and large Royal Coat of Arms in south aisle dated 1729.

Listing NGR: TR3703165322

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

171821

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newman, J, The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent, (1983), 420-421

End of official list entry

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