Description

TR 03 SW RUCKINGE THE CORNER
(south side)
6/101 Church of St.
Mary Magdalene
27.11.57
GV I
Parish church. C12 origin, tower rebuilt C13, arcade and fenestration
mainly C14, C15 alterations. Ragstone with plain tiled roof, with
timber north porch and leaded spire. Chancel, north chapel, nave with
aisles, western tower and north porch. Two stage western tower, the
upper section Cl3 with spire on C12 lower stage, with offset corner
buttresses and south-western angle vice. Ogee headed and cusped single
and doubled lights. Perpendicular double wave moulded western doorway
set within C12 doorway with billet, keel, chevron and roll and fillet
moulded orders on double attached columns with scalloped capitals.
Paired trecusped lights to south aisle with 1 leaded wooden casement.
C12 south doorway with chevron and roll moulded outer orders on
attached columns, the abaci enriched with zig-zag and billet mouldings.
Boldly projecting south chapel with offset corner buttresses and corbelled
western chimney, with blocked C18 brick west doorway and cusped Y-
tracery fenestration. East end with 2 three light cusped Y-tracery
windows with mouchettes, that to chancel with larger, less cusped
tracery pattern. Cusped lancets to chancel and Y-tracery fenestration
to north aisle, with corner buttresses (repaired with brick). North
porch on flint base, with rendered and applied timber upper walls, and
damaged cusped and moulded bargeboard with pendant. The porch within
is unrestored, with small crown-post roof on cambered and moulded
tie beam with moulded wall plate. Fine C14(?) door, with moulded and
lapped timbers in hollow-and ovolo-moulded doorway with hoodmould.
Interior: wide nave, with mutilated tower arch on octagonal responds,
with double chamfered and roll moulded arch. Nearly all the stonework
of the arcades badly scaled by fire and some with iron straps; C14 3
bay arcades with octagonal piers and moulded capitals to double chamfered
arches. South pier to C14 damaged chancel arch in C15 replacement.
Roof of 4 crown posts with lean-to aisles, and simple arch from south
aisle to south chapel. Chancel with Cl9 tie beam, and rafter roof,
and double chamfered arch to south chapel, the latter with trussed
rafter roof on moulded tie beams. Fittings: cusped ogee headed
piscina in east wall of chancel; C17 altar table with fluted frieze
and gadrooned cup and cover legs and square floor-level stretchers
and mid C18 turned baluster altar rail. Medieval choir stalls to south
of chancel with frame of screen to south chapel with simple poppy head
bench ends, returned across chancel arch and mirrored on north side,
largely by Cl9 copies, but incorporating 4 C15 or C16 panels with tracery
and shields. Cusped and roll moulded shelved piscina in south chapel.
Simple octagonal font and base. Heavy Cl9 wooden Gothic style pulpit.
Early C18 screen to tower with raised and fielded panelled base,
turned balusters over to cornice with iron spiked top rail. Central
door on H hinges. On the south wall of the tower, a reredos, with 4
fluted Doric pilasters, painted to look like marble, with entablature
blocks supporting a modillion cornice, the centre raised to pediment,
with central segmentally headed commandments board with cloud burst
over and Hebrew lettering, flanked by Lord's Prayer and the Creed.
Early Cl9 painted Royal Arms on tower north wall. (See B.O.E. Kent I,
499-500).

Listing NGR: TR0260733627

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529339

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)