Monument to Best Family Circa 20 Yards East of Chancel of Church of St Mary and All Saints is a Grade II listed building in the Maidstone local planning authority area, England. First listed on 20 July 1984. Monument.

Monument to Best Family Circa 20 Yards East of Chancel of Church of St Mary and All Saints

WRENN ID
cold-spindle-juniper
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Maidstone
Constituency
Faversham and Mid Kent MP: Helen Whately (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
20 July 1984
Type
Monument
OS grid reference
TQ 775 589
Coordinates
51.30178, 0.54544
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The monument to the Best family, located approximately 20 yards east of the chancel of the Church of St Mary and All Saints, dates from the early 19th century. It is made of stone and stands on a stepped stone base. The monument is large and square, featuring a moulded plinth and a corniced lid. The side panels are recessed, with reeded detailing at the base and fluted above on a small moulded plinth.

The central panels are fielded with concave corners at the top of the lid, which supports a square two-tier plinth. The base of this plinth is moulded, while the top is smaller and rises from it on a short broad concave stem, decorated with an egg and dart design. An escutcheon is positioned on the west side, resting in the slope of the stem.

Atop the two-tier plinth is a vase adorned with acanthus leaves around the base of the cup, fluting above, and a projecting floral lip. The knob of the lid features projecting "eggs." Originally, the monument was surrounded by railings. Each side is inscribed in memory of numerous members of the Best family, with dates of death beginning in the early 19th century.

Local climate

Monument to Best Family Circa 20 Yards East of Chancel of Church of St Mary and All Saints sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 740 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 76% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 28 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 69% of listed buildings. Of these, 13 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Table Tomb to Charles Family Circa One Yard North of Monument to Best Family in Churchyard of Church of St Mary and All Saints Grade II 2 m
  2. Table Tomb to Dunning Family One Yard East of Obelisk Monument to Dunning Family in Churchyard of St Mary and All Saints Grade II 20 m
  3. Lych Gate to Church of St Mary and All Saints, and Gates Attached Grade II 95 m
  4. Court Lodge Grade II 99 m
  5. Parsonage Farm Grade II* 154 m
  6. The Old Vicarage Grade II 158 m
  7. K6 Telephone Kiosk at Junction with Forest Lane Grade II 184 m
  8. The King's Arms Grade II 185 m
  9. The Old House Grade II 186 m
  10. Engine House Grade II 217 m