St Mary Magdalene Church, Stockbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary Magdalene Church |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Stockbury, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | church website |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 26 April 1968 |
| Style | Early Norman/ Perpendicular Gothic |
| Completed | Late 12th century, 13th and 15th centuries |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Mary Magdalene, Stockbury |
| Archdeaconry | Maidstone |
| Diocese | Canterbury |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary Magdalene Church is a very old parish church in Stockbury, Kent, England. It was first built a long time ago, starting in the late 1100s. Over the years, more parts were added in the 1200s and 1400s. The church was also repaired and updated in the 1800s.
This church is considered very important. It is a Grade I listed building, which means it has special historical and architectural value. It is protected to make sure it lasts for many more years.
Contents
Building a Historic Church
The church's construction began around the year 1200. Some parts, like the main area near the altar (called the chancel) and the north side aisle, are still from this early period. The church is mostly built from flint, which is a type of stone, with cut stone details. The roofs are made of flat tiles.
The main central part of the church (the nave) and the south side aisle were rebuilt in the 1800s. This work was done by an architect named R. C. Hussey. Each side aisle has a porch in the middle. The north porch is now used as a vestry, which is a room where the clergy get ready. The south porch was also rebuilt in the 1800s.
The Tall West Tower
The church has a tall tower on its west side, built in the 1400s. It connects to the main part of the church at a slight angle. The tower has two main levels and a top edge that looks like a castle wall, called a battlement. Below the battlement, there's a stone band with gargoyles, which are carved stone figures often used as water spouts.
The highest point of the church is a round staircase tower on the south-east corner of the main tower. It rises above the roof and has a weathervane on top, which shows the date 1676. A smaller tower built into the wall on the north side of the main tower was added in the 1800s. The large arched window in the west tower is from an early style of English Gothic architecture.
Windows and Transepts
The north side aisle has two large windows that are typical of the 1400s style. It also has a small tower with battlements that once led to a rood loft, which was a gallery above the entrance to the chancel. The rebuilt south aisle has both rectangular and arched windows from the same period.
The church also has two side sections called transepts, one on the north and one on the south. These transepts have pairs of tall, narrow windows on their east sides. One of these windows in the north transept is very old, from the early 1200s. The end walls of both transepts have large windows from the 1400s. The chancel has narrow windows on its north and south sides. The three plain arched windows at the east end of the chancel were built in the 1800s.
Inside the Church
Inside, the main central part of the church (the nave) is separated from the side aisles by a series of four arches on each side. Most of these arches were rebuilt in the 1800s. The chancel also has arches on each side. The two arches closest to the west on each side lead into the transepts.
The roofs of the nave and the south transept have special wooden beams called crown posts that are decorated with carvings. The rest of the church's roofs have plain ceilings.
Special Features and History
The church has a font for baptisms, which has a wooden cover shaped like an "ogee" (a special S-curve). On the south wall of the chancel, there is a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels.
Two special brass plaques are set into the floor of the chancel. These are memorials to John and Dorothy Hooper, who passed away in 1617 and 1648.
Outside the church, in the churchyard, there is a war memorial. There are also several old gravestones and a tomb that are also listed as Grade II historic structures. Next to the churchyard, on the south side, you can see the remains of an old Norman fort. This fort is also a protected historical site.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Maidstone
