Church of St Peter and St Paul, Headcorn, Kent

Description

HEADCORN
TQ 8344

10/28 Church of
St. Peter and
26.4.68 St. Paul

GV I

Parish church. C13, late C14 and C15. Restored 1854-5 and 1868 by
Clarke, and 1878 by G.M. Hills. Bethersden marble with plain tile roofs.
West tower. Nave, continuous with chancel to south, slightly projecting
to north. South aisle, continuous with south chancel chapel, flush with
east end of chancel. South porch with parvis chamber. West tower: late
C14. Three stages, on moulded plinth . Angle buttresses. Battlements
above moulded string. Polygonal north-east stair turret with plain
parapet higher than tower. East and west belfry windows of 2 lights with
vertical bars, quatrefoil and hoodmould. North and south belfry windows
of 3 trefoil-headed lights with squared hoodmould. Single trefoil-headed
light to central stage to west and rectangular light with iron bars to
north and south. West window of 3 cinquefoil-headed lights with inter-
secting tracery incorporating inverted mouchettes. 2-centred arched
casement-moulded architrave. Hoodmould with carved heads to label stops
and 4 carved grotesques beneath hoodmould. Rectangular panel below window
with sunk quatrefoil and shield. 2-centred arched west doorway with
casement-moulded architrave, slender moulded shaft to each side, carved
spandrels and squared moulded hoodmould with carved heads as label stops.
South aisle and south chapel: late C14, chapel with C13 origins, possibly
refenestrated in C15. Moulded stone plinth. South-west and south-east
angle buttresses. Battlements above moulded string. South aisle has three
windows, each of 3 slightly stepped cinquefoil-headed lights and hoodmould;
one to west end and one either side of porch. South chapel has three
4-centred arched 2-light windows with hoodmoulds, alternating with
buttresses. Low 2-centred arched doorway with renewed architrave. Restored
east window of 5 traceried lights with hoodmould. South porch: probably
late C14. Moulded stone plinth. Battlements above moulded string.
Polygonal north-west stair turret with plain parapet. Small rectangular
north and south lights to porch and slightly larger lights with hoodmoulds
to chamber. 2-centred arched casement-moulded outer doorway with hoodmould.
2-centred arched Bethersden marble inner doorway, with hoodmould and ribbed
door. Chancel: C13 origin. Refenestrated, probably in late C14 or C15.
Presently without plinth. Single buttress. Gabled. Tall restored
2-centred arched traceried east window with 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
below and 3 above central transom. Hoodmould. Two north windows; that to
east set higher with 2 trefoil-headed lights and hoodmould; that to west
with moulded architrave, 2 cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of vertical
bars, and hoodmould. Nave: north elevation: probably late C14. Moulded
plinth, continuous with that of tower. Four 3-light traceried windows
(incorporating inverted daggersl,with moulded architraves and hoodmoulds,
alternating with buttresses. Interior: structure: 5-bay nave arcade to
south of pointed arches with hollow chamfer and semi roll. 2 west arches
with lower heads. Octagonal columns, with moulded capitals and bases of
Bethersden marble. East column of arcade free-standing, also forming
springing for chancel arch, chancel aqcade, and arch between south chapel
and south aisle. Chancel arch and arch between chapel and aisle similar
to south arcade. 2-bay chancel arcade of plain-chamfered pointed arches.
Chamfered rectangular pier with undercut and roll-moulded abacus. Deeply
moulded pointed-arched tower arch, with attached shafts, the capitals
moulded similarly to those of south arcade. 4-centred arched hollow-
chamfered doorway to rood-loft stairs to east end of north wall of nave.
3-centred arched doorway with semi roll moulding to tower stairs. 2-
centred arched hollow-chamfered doorway to parvis chamber stairs. Low
4-centred arched hollow-chamfered north doorway to chancel. Small
rectangular light to parvis chamber. Roof: Late C14 or early C15 collar-
rafter roof to nave of 7 trusses (5½ bays), with moulded aligned butt
purlins. Heavily moulded composite solid-spandrel arch-braces to collars,
moulding continued down pendant posts. Hollow-chamfered windbraces, with
carved spandrels between windbraces and purlins. Above collars, heavy-
scantling scissor braces halved across yokes. Ashlar-pieces between bases
of scissor-braces and tops of purlins, and between rafters and cornice.
Moulded and brattished cornice. Chancel roof boarded in 7 cants. Lean-to
roofs to south chapel and aisle. Fittings: Rectangular hollow-chamfered
piscina to east end of south wall of south aisle. Similar but larger
piscina to east end of south wall of chapel. Cinquefoil-headed piscina to
east end of chancel. Octagonal C15 font with carved concave sides, shafted
octagonal stem and moulded base on octagonal stone plinth, to south side of
south arcade. Screen base partly early C16, with variety of linenfold
panelling, and frieze carved differently in each section. Pulpit of 1878
with re-used linenfold panelling. Inlaid hexagonal tester. Painted panels,
probably from C17 or C18 reredos, depicting Moses and Aaron. Royal Arms
above tower arch. 1787 Benefactors' Board to south wall of nave. 4 boards
with Creed and Decalogue to south wall of nave. Decoration: C15 stained
glass to heads of north nave and south aisle windows. Monuments: C15 tomb
recess towards east end of south wall of south aisle, with Culpeper arms to
spandrels; low Bethersden marble table tomb with corniced lid set into
recess spanned by broad 4-centred arch, cusped and subcusped, with large
leaves over cusps and slender shaft each side with moulded capital and base.
Quatrefoiled spandrels and squared moulded and embattled hoodmould. C18
tablet to east wall of chancel, in black and white marble, with moulded
plinth on shaped base panel, flanking pilasters, and moulded open-topped
pediment with escutcheon. Inscription barely legible at time of re-survey.
[J. Newman, B.O.E., West Kent and the Weald, 19801.

Listing NGR: TQ8318244204

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British Listed Buildings

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Church of St Peter and St Paul

A Grade I Listed Building in Headcorn, Kent

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