Church of St Theobald

Church dating to the C11 with later medieval additions, ruinated in the C19.

MATERIALS: flint, both knapped and rubble, with dressings of ferruginous conglomerate and reused Roman brick in the voussoirs. The chancel roof is clad in pantiles.

PLAN: the church consists of a nave with C11 north and west walls, an C11 chancel extended probably in the C13, a C12 round west tower, a C14 south aisle, and a porch probably dating to the C15.

EXTERIOR: the round west tower has a distinct batter and four, single-light belfry openings with rough semi-circular arches of flint rubble. On the west side of the lower floors there are two loops, one of which has an arched lintel. On the east side of the tower is the former west window of the nave (later blocked) with brick voussoirs and double splayed reveals. The narrow tower arch subsequently created has been reduced in size and contains an arched doorway with reused brick in the jambs and a vertical plank door.

The roofless two-bay nave has large conglomerate quoins and, on the north side, a large shallow-arched window opening followed by a door with stone quoins and C16 brick voussoirs. On the west wall a fragment of early C13 dogtooth moulding has been incorporated into the masonry and may have been part of the St Theobald shrine. The roofless south aisle is almost as wide as the nave. Its two-bay arcade has an octagonal central pier with similar responds, all with moulded bell capitals, and arches of two chamfered orders, the inner one of moulded brick. The aisle has two simple lancet windows with internal dressings of medieval brick. On the left of the south door is the remains of the holy water stoup which incorporates Roman brick.

The roofless south porch of knapped flint has an arched doorway with attached circular shafts and re-set decayed label stops. The one-light east and west windows have cusped heads. The chancel was walled off from the nave in the 1860s and incorporates a re-set stone, arch opening. It has conglomerate buttresses at each end of the east wall, and two C19 flint and brick buttresses with one off-set on the north and south walls. The east wall is pierced by a C19 three-light Perpendicular-style window which has a relieving brick arch above. There is a C13 single lancet on the south wall and a blocked lancet on the north wall.

INTERIOR: the chancel has whitewashed walls and a king post roof with raking struts, soulaces and butt purlins.