St Mary's and All Saints Church, Boxley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's and All Saints Church
Church from the south-east
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Location	Boxley, Kent
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Boxley Church
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	26 April 1968
Style	Decorated Gothic/ Perpendicular Gothic
Completed	13th, 14th and 15th centuries
Specifications
Materials	Rag-stone, Flint
Bells	6 (full circle)
Tenor bell weight	10 long cwt 3 qr 10 lb (1,214 lb or 551 kg)
Administration
Parish	St Mary's and All Saints, Boxley
Deanery	North Downs
Archdeaconry	Maidstone
Diocese	Canterbury
Province	Canterbury

Welcome to St Mary's and All Saints Church in Boxley, Kent! This amazing old building is a parish church, which means it's the main church for the local community. It was started a very long time ago, in the 1200s, and more parts were added in the 1300s and 1400s. Imagine how many people have walked through its doors over the centuries! The church was also carefully fixed up in the 1870s. It's so special that it's a Grade I listed building, meaning it's one of the most important historic buildings in England.

Exploring St Mary's Church

The nave, looking towards the chancel and the east end

What is the Church Made Of?

The church is built with strong local stone called rag-stone and flint, which are like hard, dark grey rocks. The roofs are covered with flat tiles.

The main part of the church, called the nave, has aisles (walkways) on both sides. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, has a small room called a vestry on its south side. At the west end of the nave, there's a tall tower with a narthex (an entrance hall) in front of it. This narthex is actually what's left of an even older church!

The tower has three levels and strong corner supports called buttresses. The top of the tower has a battlemented parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall. A small tower with stairs is attached to the north-east corner. You can see belfry windows on the top floor where the bells are. The narthex has a special roof that slopes down on two sides, called a half-hipped roof. It has a large window with three sections above the main entrance door. Smaller windows with two sections are low down on the north and south walls.

The aisles on the north and south sides of the church have different sized windows, each with two sections and cool designs. The middle part of the south aisle has a porch where people enter. The windows in the chancel and the vestry were added in the 1800s.

Stepping Inside the Church

Inside the narthex, you can still see parts of very old Norman arches, which are round and strong. The doorways that lead through the tower are from a later period (Perpendicular Gothic). The one on the west side has cool carvings of a bishop and a king in its decorations.

The main part of the church (the nave) is separated from the aisles by rows of arches, built in the early 1200s. These arches rest on short, round pillars. The arch leading into the chancel is also from the Perpendicular Gothic style. The nave's roof, built in the early 1400s, has special wooden beams called crown post trusses. The roofs over the aisles, with their criss-cross beams, are even older, from the 1200s. The chancel roof was likely added in the 1800s.

At the east end of each aisle, there's a small stone basin called a piscina, which was used for washing holy vessels. The font, where baptisms happen, has a base from the early 1400s, but the top part was added in the 1800s.

The Church Bells

St Mary's Church has a set of six bells that are rung in the traditional English style, called full circle ringing. This means the bells swing all the way around. The largest bell weighs about 10 and a half tons!

People Connected to the Church

James Craigie Robertson was a helper priest (curate) here in the 1840s. He later became an important religious historian and a canon (a type of priest) at Canterbury Cathedral. His daughter, Emily Innes, who became a writer, was born right here in 1846.

Memorials and Monuments

Part of churchyard, with monument to the Dunning family in centre (obelisk).

Inside the church, you can find special memorials to people who lived long ago. These include Sir Henry Wiat (who died in 1537, but his memorial was put up in 1702), Richard Tomynn (d. 1576), George and Elizabeth Charlton (d. 1707 and d. 1750), Hannah Champneys (d. 1748), William Champneys (d. 1760), and Frances Champneys (d. 1800).

Outside the church, the lychgate (a covered gateway to the churchyard) was built in 1875 and is also a listed building, though a Grade II one. The churchyard itself has many old monuments and gravestones that are also listed as Grade II, showing their historical importance.

See also

• Boxley Abbey
• Boxley Abbey Barn
• Grade I listed buildings in Maidstone