Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church of mixed dates, principally 14th and 15th century, with later additions and alterations. The 14th century saw the construction of the transepts, followed by a 15th century nave. The west tower was rebuilt in 1534. The chancel was substantially rebuilt in 1863 by the architect David Brandon, and a south porch of 19th century date was added.

The church is built principally in knapped flint, coursed in the chancel, with ashlar quoins and dressings throughout. The tower's west wall is distinctive, constructed in alternating blocks of flints and tiles. The roof is plain tile. The building comprises a west tower, nave with aisles, transepts, a triple chancel, and a south porch.

The exterior is substantial and elaborate. The three-stage west tower features four-stage offset angle buttresses, a weathered plinth, and string courses rising to battlements. A south-east octagonal and battlemented stair turret rises adjacent. The south aisle is articulated with angle buttresses, a rendered plinth, and string courses to battlements, with a clerestory lighting the nave above. The two-storey south porch has a circular stair turret in its west angle with the aisle. The south transept is defined by angle buttresses, an exposed wall plate on corbels to its west wall, and lacks a plinth. The triple chancel of 1863 displays three gables, coursed flint on a flint and ashlar plinth with angle buttresses. The north transept is constructed of knapped coursed flint with angle buttresses, possibly renewed in 1863. A chimney stack rises in the west angle with the north aisle. The north aisle features an angle buttress and two intermediate buttresses, with string courses to battlements. The nave is lit by a clerestory.

Windows are distributed throughout according to period. The west window is of 19th century date in Perpendicular style, comprising three lights with a single light and label above. The south tower wall contains a large wooden clock face, and the north wall displays a Perpendicular two-light belfry opening. The south-west and north-west windows are both 15th century Perpendicular, two-light with four lights over and drip moulds. The south aisle windows are 19th century copies of the Perpendicular south-west window, flanking the south porch. The porch itself displays 19th century Perpendicular style single lights to west and east, and a two-light with label to the south wall above the door.

The south transept contains a 14th century west window of two lights with a spherical triangle in the apex, a 14th century south window of three lights with y-tracery, and an east window of three lights with canted four-centred arch and drip mould, dated to the 16th century, without tracery. The chancel south wall has two 19th century geometric style windows of two lights with trefoiled tracery, drip moulds terminating in ball-flower stops. Three 19th century curvilinear windows in the east, two of three lights, have ball-flower stops to their drip moulds. The centre window contains five lights and a rose, with crowned heads as stops. The north chancel wall is identical to the south. The north transept contains a 19th century Decorated style two-light east window, a 19th century cusped y-traceried three-light north window, and a 14th century west window of two lights with a hollow-sided hexagon at the head. The north aisle displays three 15th century Perpendicular windows of two and three lights over, set in segmental arches with drip moulds. Three clerestory windows, north and south, are all 15th century Perpendicular two-lights.

Doors are varied in date and style. The west door is a panelled plank and stud construction in a moulded arch with square head, shields in the spandrels, moulded jambs, and a coved cornice to the label. The south door is a 19th century plank door set within a 15th century archway of double hollow chamfer and roll moulding in a square-headed frame with quatrefoils in the spandrels. The north and south chancel walls each have identical 19th century doors to the west in moulded surrounds with drip moulds. The south door bears the inscription "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength", and the north "Thou Lord hast never failed them that seek thee".

The interior is notable for its spatial arrangement and roof timbers. The heavily chamfered tower arch is supported on half-octagonal piers. The nave comprises a four-bay 15th century arcade of octagonal piers with moulded bases and caps, supporting double hollow chamfered arches. A clerestory of four windows illuminates the nave above, the easternmost on north and south being blocked and facing into the transepts. The roof is a king post design with moulded tenoned purlins, ridge plate, and tie beams. Corbels carved as angels, kings, and beasts support the roof posts. The aisles have moulded beams to flat ceiled roofs and double hollow chamfered arches to the transepts. Moulded four-centred reveals articulate the windows and south door. The eastern bay of the nave arcade leads directly into the transepts.

The south transept has a crown post roof with a 19th century arch to the south-east chancel and a blocked opening to the roof loft stair. The north transept contains a 19th century braced truss roof and a four-centred 19th century arch to the north-east chancel. A four-centred 19th century arch opens to the central chancel. The chancel consists of three bays with north arcade of octagonal responds and round piers supporting double chamfered arches, all with scissor-trussed roofs. A similar arcade to the south is constricted to allow for the rood loft stair.

An ogee-headed piscina in the south transept, obscured by the organ, provides evidence of the pre-Reformation liturgical arrangement.

The monuments and memorials within the church are extensive and of considerable importance. In the south-west corner stands a monument to the Dick family of 1837, signed by Beele and Sons of London but attributed to John Brine and Sons. It comprises a free-standing altar and triptych with female figures in pinnacled niches flanked by cast iron traceried railings with crocketed principals. On the south wall is a monument to Frederick Lacy Dick, assassinated in 1847, by E. Gaffin of Regent Street, London, executed in white marble as a slab on scalloped scrolls surmounted by a pensive mourning figure and sarcophagus. Farther east is a monument to William Denne (died 1778) and family (died 1783-1806), comprising a white oval plaque on brackets with a coat of arms above. The south transept east wall bears a monument to Sir Thomas Mantel (died 1831) by Richard Westmacott, R.A., London, executed as a mourning woman with urn and pediment, on a plain base with two small scallops.

The south chancel contains a monument to an unnamed member of the Fogge family of 1626, executed in Bethersden marble with verses on an arched plaque on scrolled brackets with Corinthian capitals, a frieze, a scrolled medallion, and obelisk above, all covered with damascene work. A free-standing monument to Mary Kemp, Lady Digges (died 1631), is by Nicholas Stone and comprises an 11-foot black marble column with urn on a plinth, flanked by four seated female figures on pedestals at each corner representing Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. Panels on the pedestals and central plinth bear inscriptions: to the east, to Lady Digges; to the north, to Rachel (Genesis XXXV); to the south, to the Digges lineage; and to the west, to Dudley Digges, builder of Chilham Castle.

In the north chancel stands a monument to James Wildman (died 1816), described in Kelly's Directory 1927 as "the famous Wildman monument by Chantrey". It is a free-standing composition featuring a scrolled sarcophagus with a mourning woman left, her daughter weeping in her lap, and a son seated on the step to the right below the sarcophagus. Also in the north chancel is a Purbeck marble sarcophagus originally in tombs below the north transept, incised with a much-mutilated floriated cross. A monument to Arthur and Edmund Hardy (died 1853) by Alexander Munro displays white marble figures of two boys reading "Illustrated Babes in the Wood" with children's toys around them, set on a red marble plinth.

In the north transept is a wall plaque to Thomas Pettitt (died 1625) of black marble with white base, supported by two columns carrying an entablature with plinth. In the north-west corner stands a tomb-chest to Lady Margaret Palmer (died 1619), sister to Dudley Digges, executed in Bethersden marble as a free-standing composition with two coloured marble panels, four Corinthian columns carrying an entablature, and four corner obelisks with a central obelisk on an enscrolled medallion, enriched throughout with damascene work in a manner similar to the Fogge monument in the south-east chancel.

The church contains mid-15th century glass in a north aisle window depicting figures and heraldry. Memorial windows to the Hardy family commemorating the fallen of the First World War, executed by W.T. Tower, are located in the north and south transepts and chancels.

Coats of arms are displayed on the south door, dated 1712 with pediment and scrolls, and on the tower south wall, an 18th century lozenge.