Church of the Holy Cross

The Church of the Holy Cross is a parish church with a history spanning several centuries. Parts of the structure may date back to the Saxon period, but the majority of the present building was constructed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, with a Victorian restoration in the 19th century. The church is built of ragstone with a plain-tile roof and comprises a west tower, nave, south porch, south vestry, chancel, and north aisle.

The west tower is three-stage, incorporating a plinth, diagonal buttresses, a south-east stair turret, and a crenellated parapet featuring three restored beasts. The belfry openings date to the 15th century. Immediately west of the south porch, a 13th-century lancet window is situated in the south wall of the nave. A reused 15th-century east window is incorporated into the south wall of the 19th-century vestry. The chancel also features a 13th-century lancet window. A distinctive two-light window, with ogee heads to the lights, a flat-headed trefoil light between the shoulders, and a hood-mould with label stops, is located at the north-east end of the aisle. Further 14th-century windows are present in the centre and north-west end of the aisle, also with hood-moulds and label stops.

Inside, a four-bay north arcade splits into two sections: the two western bays exhibit early 14th-century hollow chamfers on round piers, while the two eastern bays were rebuilt in the 15th century. The remains of an arch with a throughstone are visible at the west end of the arcade, potentially dating back to the 12th century or earlier. The roof over the east end of the aisle is canted, ribbed and boarded, with a moulded cornice; the remainder of the roof is 20th century. A lancet window in the south wall of the nave features two slender attached columns on either side, adorned with bell capitals and bases. The chancel’s lancet window has a crocketted impost. A rood loft stair is situated in the south wall of the nave. A 13th-century sedile and piscina, featuring shoulders and a flat top, is also present. The church interior is complemented by 19th-century panels and pews at the east end of the nave and aisle.

Several monuments mark the history of the church and its community. A stone tablet with a brass panel, bearing an inscription, coat of arms, and achievements, is found in the north aisle, dedicated to “Henrye Brockill of Aldington” who died in 1596. A further stone tablet with brass figures commemorates Susanna Cage, who died in 1634. A wall monument in the north aisle honours Elizabeth Andras, the first wife of Sir Thomas Fludde, dating to the early 17th century. Doctor Robert Fludd, who died in 1637, is remembered by a bust on an inscribed plinth. A stone tablet within the south porch memorializes Steven Mason and his wife Margarete, who died in 1552. Two plain floor tablets in the north aisle commemorate Eleonor, John, and Guillemo Cage in the late 17th century, displaying a coat of arms.