St Mary's Church, Higham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Higham |
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St Mary's Church, Higham, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | TQ 716 742 |
| Location | Higham, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 21 November 1966 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint and ragstone Tiled roofs |
St Mary's Church is a very old church in Higham, Kent, England. It's not used for regular church services anymore, but it's a special building protected because of its history. It's looked after by a group called the Churches Conservation Trust. You can find it in a small area called Church Street, about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) northwest of Rochester. This church is listed as a Grade I building, which means it's very important.
Contents
A Look Back: St Mary's History
St Mary's Church has a long and interesting past. It was first built during the Saxon era, even before the Normans came to England in 1066.
Building a New Church After the Normans
After the Norman Conquest, the church was rebuilt. You can still see some Norman parts in the building today. In the 1100s, a nunnery (a home for nuns) was started nearby. Around 1280, this nunnery moved to a spot right across from the church.
Changes and Repairs Through the Years
In 1357, the nunnery got special permission from the Pope to raise money for repairs. It's thought this money helped build a new south aisle for the church. This new aisle was as big as the main part of the church, called the nave. The nunnery closed down in 1522.
In 1710, the church's spire was added. The church also had repairs and updates in the early 1800s. The south porch, which is the covered entrance, was built during the 1800s.
Famous Connections and New Beginnings
In 1860, Charles Dickens' daughter, Kate, got married in this church. In 1863, the church was updated by an architect named Robert Speechly. New furniture was put in, and the windows were replaced to look like the old ones.
By the mid-1800s, most people in Higham had moved away from St Mary's area. So, a new church, dedicated to St John, was built about 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) south in 1862.
Exploring St Mary's Architecture
The church is built from a mix of flint and ragstone. The flint is arranged in stripes, which looks very cool. Some parts have small pieces of flint pushed into the mortar, called galletting. The roof is made of tiles, and the spire is covered with shingles.
Outside the Church
The church has a main area (the nave) and a south aisle, which are almost the same size. At the east end of the nave is the Lady Chapel. This used to be the original church's chancel (the area around the altar). The current chancel is at the east end of the south aisle.
The north wall of the church has some old Norman features. You can see a window that was filled in and the outline of an old doorway.
Inside the Church
You enter the church through a south door from the 1400s. It has beautiful carvings of roses, lilies, and even human faces. Between the nave and the aisle, there are three arches called an arcade.
A wooden screen from the 1400s separates the nave from the Lady Chapel. This rood screen is carved and has five arches, with the middle one forming a doorway. The carved wooden pulpit (where sermons are given) is from the same time. The font, used for baptisms, is Norman. Most of the other furniture was added during the 1863 updates.
The Lady Chapel holds two tombs, one from 1615. It also has an aumbry (a cupboard for sacred items) with its original door. In the south wall of the chancel, there's a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) and a medieval tomb. On the walls near the altar, you can see panels with the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed. The stained glass windows were added in the 1800s and 1900s.
St Mary's Today
In the 1900s, more repairs were done to St Mary's roof and spire. The church was no longer used for regular services and was given to the Redundant Churches Fund in 1987. This group later became the Churches Conservation Trust. In the same year, St John's Church became the main parish church for Higham.
In the 2000s, the Trust organized more repairs to the stonework of the south aisle, porch, and east end. The outside flintwork on the south aisle wall had started to separate, so workers pinned it back together. In early 2009, a group called The Friends of St. Mary's Church was started. They work with the Trust to raise money and organize events for the church.
See also
