Church of St. Michael

TR 23 NW 7/135

HAWKINGE GRAVEYARD HILL (west side) Church of St. Michael

29.12.66

GV I Parish church. Late C11 or C12, C13, and C17, restored 1875. Flint, with stone quoins and dressings. Plain tile roof. Continuous nave and chancel. South porch to nave. Nave: west end: no plinth. Gabled, with C19 bellcote. Pointed, plain-chamfered lancet. Blocked round- headed late C11 or C12 doorway with small voussoirs carved with raised diamond pattern.

South elevation: one plain-chamfered pointed lancet towards west end and one tall rectangular C17 two-light window with plain-chamfered mullion towards east. South porch: galleted flint and stone, with plain tile roof Broad, and gabled. No windows. Plain-chamfered round-headed outer doorway with consecration cross. Inner doorway has rounded jambs, segmental head, and boarded door. Chancel: south elevation: rectangular two-light C17 window towards nave. Tall plain-chamfered pointed lancet with transom. Another C17 two-light window towards east end. East end: two tall plain-chamfered pointed lancets flanking a central buttress with offsets.

North elevation: unfenestrated. C19 lean-to vestry with two lancets and doorway in a C13 style. Nave: north elevation: three broadly-spaced plain-chamfered pointed lancets.

Interior: roof: four crown-post trusses to nave, with chamfered tie-beams, octagonal crown-posts with chamfered rectangular capitals and bases, sous-laces, ashlar-pieces and plain-chamfered cornice. C19 collar-purlin roof to chancel.

Fittings: two east end lancets share a single chamfered rere arch, with canted buttress between the lights. South east chancel window has deep C13 window-seat sedilla with piscina in top of east 'arm'. Piscina in small pointed-arched recess to east end of south wall, with image corbel to slightly-projecting bowl. Octagonal font with chamfered bowl and plinth. Pavement floor to nave.

Monuments: slab on chancel floor to William Rolfe, d.1740, his wife and children (d.1747-86); probably erected after 1786. Broadly scrolled top with two cherubs' heads. Monument on north wall of chancel, to John Herdson, d.1622; alabaster. Moulded plinth, with strapwork base-plate with crowned skull. Slightly recessed rectangular inscription panel flanked by pilasters carved with fruit, bibles and insignia of death. Rosette paterae. Inscribed frieze. Moulded cornice. Iron bracket above.

Declared redundant in 1980.

Listing NGR: TR2293539822