Parish Church Of All Saints

STROOD CHURCH GREEN, TQ 7469 NW FRINDSBURY Parish Church of All 4/267 Saints 24.10.50 II* Parish church. Norman chancel, chancel arch, and much of the fabric of the nave, together (probably) with substantial part of the W tower; C14 S aisle and alterations to the tower (including S stair turret); restorations in 1824 and 1884 (the latter by Pearson who added - or rebuilt - the N aisle, renewed the window tracery (removed in 1824) and built the NE vestry). The oldest work contains much flint with ragstone dressings; the rest ragstone rubble with limestone dressings; shingle spire, Kent tile chancel roof and renewed tile roof to nave. The plan (W tower, nave and aisles, chancel without aisles, NE vestry) is unusual only in that the S aisle which contains the entrance, stops one bay short of the W end. Exterior. W tower, quoined without buttresses, battlemented (with exceptionally wide merlons), 3 stages (single cusped pointed openings to each stage, N, S and W); moulded arch to W doorway; polygonal stair turret to S. Renewed single broach spire. S aisle, and the single unaisled bay of nave S wall, all under plain parapet, with renewed 3-light windows (one with transom); S doorway within aisle. 4-light E window to aisle. Quoining of SE corner of nave visible. Chancel, S wall with blocked 2-light low-set window (for reading desk) immediately W of blocked priest's doorway. Single lancet and 2-light square-headed window. Chancel E: 3 low-set round-headed lancets under large wheel window (by Pearson). NE vestry (set transeptally) and N aisle (all Pearson) with plain parapet and 4-light windows. Interior: nave with 3- bay medieval S arcade (octagonal piers, 2 hollow chamfers to arches); N arcade by Pearson. Norman chancel arch, the abaci partly original; the flanking cusped openings renewed by Pearson. Chancel roof: early form (ashlar pieces, high-set tie with diagonal bracing) much renewed but with some medieval timbers; C19 nave roof with arched braced tiles, side and collar purlins with wind braces. Font: early C15, stone, octagonal bowl on panelled and buttressed stem with contemporary wooden cover. C19 furnishings, stone reredos, Last Supper in half relief behind open canopied arcade set within buttresses frame on plinth. Monument: remarkable wall monument to Thomas Butler (1621), a cumbersome shafted chest with wooden pedimented over-mantel with inscription. Minor early C19 mural monument in N aisle, one (George Gunning, 1821) signed by John Bacon, jr. another (Lady Staines, 1832), signed Samuel Manning, jr. Mid. C17 monuments in S aisle. Glass: E ensemble, Clayton & Bell (on stylistic grounds), Passion sequence in lancets, angels in wheel window above; S aisle (E) by Dixon, 1880s. A c.1860s tricento- style reredos now in tower. Reference: J Newman, West Kent and Weald. Buildings of England (2nd ed, reprint 1980, p 289).

Listing NGR: TQ7441269801