Church of St Mary the Virgin, Eastry, Kent

Description

EASTRY CHURCH STREET
TR 3154
(east side)
13/116 Church of St.Mary
11.10.63 The Virgin
GV I

Parish church. C12 in origin, largely C13. Restored 1847 to 1902 and particularly
1853. Flint with plain tiled roof. Chancel, nave with aisles, south porch,
western tower with lean-to annexes. Four stage tower with clasping buttresses
thickened at base to octagonal shape and pierced with pointed arches
(possibly over the processional path). Blank almond and circular shaped
panels in buttress upper stages. Three lancets on main stage in trefoiled
arcading with attached shafts. Corbelled top stage. North-eastern rectangular
stair turret. C12 Romanesque doorway behind C19 pentice with hollow and roll-
moulded orders and attached shafts. Lintel and tympanum altered 1853.
Romanesque windows also in north and south walls of tower. Lean-to aisles with
quatrefoil west windows. Fine C18 clock face on west wall of tower with egg
and tongue circular surround. Largely C19 renewed fenestration, trefoiled
clerestorey windows. Lancets survive in chancel, 5 on each side, with buttresses
(one on south side with mutilated Sheila-na gig carving). North aisle with
two C15 three light windows with square label heads. Single chamfered south
doorway with hoodmould in small south porch. Interior; tower arch and nave
arcades on same C13 pattern, with round piers or responds on moulded bases with
beaded capitals and double chamfered arches. Similar arches in tower to side
annexes with flying buttresses to tower, that to north finely moulded and
of late C13 date. Five bay nave arcade (the eastern arch pinched). Central
southern pier a later insertion, octagonal but with similar mouldings to
rest of arcade, with additional stylised foliation on abacus. Continuous
hood mould carried over arches. Two string courses at clerestorey level, one
forming base of clerestorey windows, the other raised over to form drips.
Roof of 6 renewed slender crown posts. Lean-to aisles. Double chamfered
chancel arch, the inner order carried on polygonal corbels with stiff-leaf sprig.
Pierced quatrefoils to left and right, and upper stage of nave east wall
stepped back. The quatrefoils pass through to trefoil headed arched reveals
in chancel. Five bay chancel, with 2 string courses, the upper raised over
windows to form drips as in nave clerestorey. The south eastern window has
a discontinuous string with the reveal carried down to the lower string, the
other window reveals are all splayed. Triple lancet west window with
trilobed heads and detached, ringed shafts. Small roundel in gable head.
Braced rafter roof. Fittings; piscina in chancel and large moulded and
cusped piscina in north aisle;another in south aisle. Aumbry with arched head
in north wall of chancel. Altar rails, reredos, candelabra, font box-pews all
C19. C18 chandelier in tower of 2 tiers of 5 branches over 10. The octagonal
inserted pier in the nave bears a Dominical Circle to compute Holy Days,
carved in 1327 and very rare. Wall Paintings; over chancel arch, 4 tiers of
roundels, Cl3, 28 of them in all with devices of a trefoil flower, doves,
lion and dragon, associated with the rood (corbels survive for a rood loft).
Two C18 painted text cartouches nave north wall, dated 1721. Two hatchments
of the Bargrave family and sculptured Royal Arms over tower arch, dated 1821 and
given by Thomas Moulden of Statenborough House. Monuments; brass in the
chancel to Thomas Nevynson, d.1590. Figures of ruffed Knight and his Lady,
almost 3 feet long with inscription and arms , reset before the altar Iron
tilting helm hanging on wall above surmounted by Nevison crest. Wall
monument to John Broadley,d.1784, signed J. Bacon, London, 1785. Medallion
portrait bust with oak leaf wreath, the staff and snake of the medical
profession and obelisk shaped background. Edward George Bays, d . 1801, wall
plaque of an urn in half relief signed Coade and Sealy,Lambeth. Monuments in
south aisle to Thomas Pettman, d.1791, wall plaque with urn on reeded column
with a shield in relief leaning against its base. Thomas Boteler, d.1768
(erected 1774), black and white marble plaque with enriched scrolled sides
and segmental head. John Paramour, d.1737, large white marble architectural
wall monument, with Ionic columns supporting broken pediment with achievement
on base of 3 cherubs heads. Removed from the chancel in 1865. Reverend Drue
Astley Cressener, d.1746, a pair to the last described monument. Facing each
other and set into two of the piers of the south arcade are 2 identical black
marble plaques with scrolled sides and achievements and gold lettering, to
Reverend Richard Harvey,d.1772, and Catherine Springette,d.1762. Robert
Bargrave;d.1779. Wall plaque in nave with obelisk on enriched neo-classical
style base with cameo portrait and urn. In the north aisle, monuments to
Sarah Boteler,d.1777, by William Tyler. Black obelisk surround with figure
of a woman leaning on draped urn, pointing towards her infant son, who
reaches up to her. She died in childbirth. Richard Kelly,d.1768. White marble
hanging cartouche with cherubs heads. Quite coarse. Captain John Harvey,d.1794,
signed J.Bacon, London. Inscription on a large black obelisk,below it a
circular relief of the battle of Ushant, the "Memorable First of June", with an
an angel holding scales and a victor's palm. Said to be from the monument
in Westminster Abbey commemorating the battle.(See B.O.E. Kent, II,pp. 307-8).

Listing NGR: TR3110854779

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British Listed Buildings

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Church of St Mary the Virgin

A Grade I Listed Building in Eastry, Kent

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