Church of St Peter, Boughton Monchelsea, Kent

Description

BOUGHTON MONCHELSEA CHURCH HILL
TQ 74 NE (East side)

2/13 Church of
St.Peter

GV II*

Parish church. Possibly with late C11 or C12 core, C13, C14, C15. Repaired
1832 after fire. Nave, aisles, porches and south transept rebuilt 1874-5
by Habershon. Ragstone rubble to chancel and lower section of tower. Upper
section of tower built with larger blocks of roughly-coursed ragstone.
Roughly-coursed stone to north aisle. Snecked stone to nave, south aisle,
south transept and porches. Plain tile roof to chancel and south transept,
slate roof to rest. Nave, south aisle, south porch, crossing tower, south
transept, chancel and north aisle which extends across north face of tower.
West gable end: Hollow-chamfered plinth. Moulded string below nave window.
West end of north and south aisles battlemented above moulded string, string
and battlements returning. Diagonal buttresses to aisles, and pilaster
buttresses to nave, rising to crocketed pinnacles. Coped gable to nave. C19 five-
light window to nave, & to south aisle.Restored C15 two-light window with
ogee-headed lights and squared head and hoodmould to north aisle. South
porch: hollow-chamfered plinth. Diagonal buttresses. Moulded string below
plain parapet, rising to gable over doorway. Re-set C15 pointed-arched south
doorway in shafted square-headed cavetto-moulded architrave with trefoiled
spandrels and squared hoodmould. C19 pointed-arched inner doorway. Sundial
over outer doorway removed from south side of tower in 1874-5. South aisle:
hollow-chamfered plinth, moulded string and battlements. 2 buttresses
alternating with three C19 three-light traceried windows. South transept:
projects south of south aisle. Diagonal buttresses. Hollow-chamfered plinth
and string. Plain stone coped parapet rising to south gable. Tall C19 four-
light mullioned and transomed south window. Blocked moulded pointed-arched
doorway, and rectangular doorway with boarded door to ends of east
elevation. Chancel: C13, possibly with earlier core. Plain-chamfered stone
plinth. Two-light C14 or C15 south-west window with 2 cinquefoil-headed
lights and squared moulded hoodmould. Trefoil- headed south-east lancet.
Three-light C19 east window. Two trefoil-headed sandstone north lancets.
Tower: probably late C11 or C12, altered and partly rebuilt in C14 and
C15. Broad battlements above moulded string. Two-light belfry windows
with squared heads; two each to east and west, one to north and south.
Broad rectangular hollow-chamfered single light below south belfry windows.
Polygonal south-west stair turret. North aisle: rebuilt 1874-5, re-using
four C15 windows. Hollow-chamfered plinth. Battlements above moulded string.
Diagonal north-east buttress and 2 north buttresses. 5-light pointed-arched
east window with 3 cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of vertical bars, and
moulded hoodmould. Three similar north windows, alternating with buttresses.
Small moulded 4-centred arched doorway with ribbed door, towards east end.
North porch: C19 pointed-arched hollow-chamfered outer and inner doorways
and pointed side-lights. Interior: Structure: 5-bay C19 nave arcade to north
and south, with moulded pointed arches and octagonal columns with moulded
capitals and bases. C14 doubly-hollow-chamfered pointed west tower arch
set on C19 engaged columns with scalloped capitals. Similar east tower arch
with roll-and-fillet hoodmould with carved heads to label stops, springing
from engaged semi-octagonal columns with moulded capitals, and bases corbelled
out from wall. Hollow-chamfered C14 pointed north tower arch springing from
engaged columns with moulded capitals and bases, set in continuous doubly-hollow-
chamfered outer order. Tall late C14 or early C15 two-light window with
cinquefoil-headed lights to south side of base of tower. Small blocked east
window and possibly blocked west window further up tower. North aisle windows
with ashlared concave architraves and moulded pointed rere-arches springing
from slender engaged shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Short narrow
doorway with rounded head of one piece of stone to west end of south wall
of tower. Blocked round-headed doorway with small even voussoirs beside it
to east. Moulded pointed-arched doorway to east end of south aisle. Blocked
rectangular rood-loft doorway to east wall of nave, south of tower arch.
Base of stair turret, with hollow-chamfered plinth, visible from south
transept. Roof: C19 hammerbeam roof with boarded rafters to nave. C19 chancel
roof of collared common rafters with sous-laces, scissor-braces and ashlar-
pieces. Flat roofs to aisles. Fixtures and fittings: small pointed-arched
aumbry to south-east end of nave. Piscina with moulded ogee arch, to east
end of south wall of chancel. Sedile adjacent to west of piscina, with 3
shallow stepped seats under broad pointed arch with engaged shafts with bell
capitals and bases. Blocked hollow-chamfered 4-centred arched opening to
north side of east wall of tower base. Monuments: cartouche on north wall
of chancel, to Barnham Powell, d.1695; draped, with arms to top and bottom
and cherub's head to base. Tablet on north wall of chancel to Richard Savage,
d.1772; white marble, with moulded plinth over fluted base-plate, palm branches
to side panels, and moulded cornice surmounted by 2 coats of arms and grey
urn. Raised black marble inscription panel. Signed by R. Chambers. Small
tablet to east end of north wall of north aisle; moulded plinth and cornice,
lower frieze under plinth with 3 roses in relief, scrolled base-plate with
moulded pendants and shield. Finely-carved finials above cornice, and coat
of arms surmounted by small urn. Inscription obscured at time of re-survey.
The whole covered with intricate damask patterning. Tablet adjacent to the
last to Wotton (?); moulded and consoled plinth, base-plate with text,
unfluted Corinthian pilasters carrying moulded frieze with text, surmounted
by finials and coats of arms. Inscription, obscured at time of re-survey,
on 2 recessed black marble panels in moulded surround. 2 busts set high
in south wall of north aisle, towards east end; part of monument to Sir Francis
Barnham, d. 1634, by Nicholas Stone. Standing monument at west end of nave,
to Sir Christopher Powell, d. 1742; white marble figures, in Roman dress,
of Sir Christopher, reclining on black sarcophagus, flanked by mother and
wife. Inscription on grey and white marble plinth beneath them. By Peter
Scheemakers. (J. Newman, West Kent and the Weald, 1980).

Listing NGR: TQ7692749528

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British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Peter

A Grade II* Listed Building in Boughton Monchelsea, Kent

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Description

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