Church of St Laurence, Hawkhurst, Kent

Entry Name: Church of St Laurence

Listing Date: 20 June 1967

Grade: I

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1120819

English Heritage Legacy ID: 169714

ID on this website: 101120819

Location: St Laurence's Church, The Moor, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN18

County: Kent

District: Tunbridge Wells

Civil Parish: Hawkhurst

Built-Up Area: Hawkhurst

Traditional County: Kent

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Kent

Tagged with: Church building

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Description

TQ 7429-7529
18/364

HAWKHURST
THE MOOR (south side)
Church of St Laurence

20.6.67

GV
I
Parish church. C14 and mid C15, restored and extended 1849 by R C Carpenter, 1853-1859 by W Slater, and 1955-1957. Squared sandstone with plain tiled roofs. Chancel with chapels, eastern sacristy, nave with aisles and north and south porches and western tower.

Two stage tower with offset angle buttresses, string course and corbel table to battlements, and with south-eastern stair turret. clock faces to north and south, two-light belfry openings and renewed west window over hollow moulded western doorway. Attached to south of tower a railed area with chest tomb.

South aisle rebuilt C19, with plinth, offset buttresses, corbel table and Perpendicular style fenestration. Fine south porch, with wood and iron twist railed gates, with wave-moulded outer doorway, hollow chamfered inner doorway, vaulted ceiling and stair-vice. South chapel roof stepped down, with plinth, buttresses, corbel table and battlements, restored Perpendicular windows, blocked southern door, and restored Reticulated east window. Very fine chancel east window of two paired lights and centre single to ogee head with centre enclosing sexfoil, with cusped cinquefoil gable light and cross finial. Projecting low sacristy.

North chapel with earlier rubble walling to base, with segmentally headed decorated windows and added battlements separated by octagonal stair-vice from conventionally Perpendicular north aisle, with north porch with roll and hollow moulded doorways and hollow chamfered door to newel stair to upper floor.

Interior: tall tower arch on octagonal responds with chamfered arch and double hollow chamfered surround. Four bay arcades, with double chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. Renewed truss rafter roof.

South aisle with moulded cross-beamed roof, eastern window reveal taken down to floor level, hollow chamfered south door (besides porch entry) and double wave-moulded arch on octagonal responds to south chapel. North aisle with similar arch to north chapel, crenellated cross-beam roof, hollow chamfered rood-stair doors, and eastern window bay reveal brought to ground level. Very high double roll-moulded chancel arch, restored. Chancel with two bay arcades, with rounded double chamfered arches on octagonal piers. Trussed rafter roof. Cross-beamed roofs to chapels.

Fittings: early C17 reredos, panelled with strapwork frieze cornice and enriched fluted pilasters. C19 wood twisted baluster altar rail with enriched moulded rail, and parclose screens, choir stalls etc all c.1859. South chapel with three-bay Perpendicular style screen erected 1922 as World War I monument, and iron scrolled lectern, and early C20 panelled reredos, south chapel with shelved trefoil headed piscina.

Nave with wooden pulpit, with polygonal base, branching stem and polygonal arcaded side panels with intricate wrought iron panelled balustrade. Octagonal Perpendicular font with shields and roses, with wooden font cover of 1960. Aumbry in north aisle.

Monuments: brasses, John Roberts of Elfords, d.1495, with Alice plus 12 children with 18 inch figures; Richard and Margaret Boys, 1572 and 1606, Marie Boys, 1602, Richard Austen, 1610 and Elizabeth Reynolds, with John Avelyn, gent on reverse, 1612, all simple brass inscription plates. Fine series of ledger tablets in north chapel with one to Richard Kilburn, Kentish Historian, in Latin (d.1678).

Cross fashioned out of wooden propellor as memorial to Captain Alwyne Lloyd, d.1917 (Royal Flying Corps). Four standards. South chapel with wall plaques to Samual Boys, d.1753, a simple aedicule with arms over. Nathanial Lardner, DD, 1768, oval, with sunburst and gospel of St James over, shield and palm fronds below (erected 1789). Identical pedimented plaques in south aisle to Jesse (d.1824) and Catherine (d.1819) Gregory. Royal Arms of 1917, contem-porary window glass. Tower with large benefaction boards, mid to late C18. Crudely executed C17 wooden relief of Last Supper, and a copy of Sarto's Holy Trinity on the walls.

Listing NGR: TQ7559529452

External Links

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