St Martin of Tours Church, Detling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Martin of Tours Church |
|
|---|---|
Church from the south-east
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Detling, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Detling Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 26 April 1968 |
| Style | Early Norman/ Perpendicular Gothic |
| Completed | c. 1100, 13th and 15th centuries |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Rag-stone, Flint |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Martin of Tours Church, Detling |
| Deanery | North Downs |
| Archdeaconry | Maidstone |
| Diocese | Canterbury |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Martin of Tours Church is a very old and special church located in Detling, Kent, England. It's dedicated to a saint named Martin of Tours. This amazing building was first built way back in the 1100s! Over the years, new parts were added in the 1200s and 1400s. It was also fixed up in the late 1800s. The church is considered a Grade I listed building, which means it's a really important historic place.
Contents
Discovering St Martin's Church
This church is a fantastic example of old English building styles. It shows how churches were built over many centuries. You can see different types of architecture, like early Norman architecture and later Perpendicular Gothic styles.
A Look at the Church's History
The main parts of the church, like the nave (the main area where people sit) and the chancel (the area near the altar), were built in the early Norman period. This was around the 1100s. These parts were made from flint stone and had a simple tiled roof.
Later, in the 1200s, a new aisle was added to the north side. This part was built using flint and a local stone called rag-stone. In the 1880s, this aisle was made even bigger.
The small chapel next to the chancel and the porch (a covered entrance) on the south side were built in the Perpendicular Gothic style. This style was popular in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The church also has a tower with two levels. It's built from galletted rag-stone, which means small pieces of stone were used to fill gaps. The pointed roof on top of the tower, called a broach spire, was added in 1861. It's made of timber shingles.
Windows and Arches
The windows in St Martin's Church come in many shapes and sizes. Most of them are in the Perpendicular style. There's a big rectangular window with three sections above the doorway on the west side of the tower. This window was added in the 1800s.
Most of the windows in the nave, aisle, and chapel have two sections. The windows on the south-east and east sides of the chancel have three sections.
Inside the church, you'll see wide, simple arches. These arches separate the nave from the aisle. A single arch connects the chancel to the chapel.
Amazing Old Features
The church has some really cool old items inside:
- The Font: This is a large, twelve-sided basin used for baptisms. It's very old and simple in design. It now sits on a base from the 1900s, but it used to be built into the tower wall.
- The Lectern: This is a stand used to hold the Bible during readings. It's made of oak and has beautiful carvings. It dates all the way back to 1340–1350! People think it might have come from Boxley Abbey, which was a monastery nearby. It's considered one of the best medieval pieces of furniture in any church in Kent.
- The Organ: The church's pipe organ is from the 1850s. It was brought here in 1973 from a church in Maidstone. A long-time organist named Colin Savage helped pay for and install it.
Churchyard History
Outside the church, in the churchyard, there are some old gravestones. One headstone and one table tomb are also listed as Grade II historic buildings. This means they are important parts of the church's history too.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Maidstone
