Church of St Peter and St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

The Church of St Peter and St Paul stands on the edge of a village notable for its historic buildings. This is a Grade I listed church, largely medieval in date with significant later additions and restorations.

The church was originally founded on Norman foundations, with the chancel foundations discovered beneath the nave during restoration work in 1956–1957. The main structure develops through the medieval period: the north wall dates from the 14th century, the north chapel is early Perpendicular, and most other features are late Perpendicular. The west tower was rebuilt around 1775 after a fire, and a comprehensive restoration in the 1860s by architect Woodyer included rebuilding the chancel and adding a north east vestry and organ chamber. Further restoration followed in the 1950s.

The building is constructed of flint and stone rubble with freestone dressings; the tower uses flint with red brick dressings. All roofs are tiled. The plan comprises a nave and chancel in one, a west tower, south aisle, north chapel, north east vestry and organ chamber, south east chapel, and south west porch.

The chancel features a coped gable and diagonal buttresses with set-offs. The east window is a three-light design of 1953 with reticulated tracery, installed following war damage. The nave contains one Decorated and one Perpendicular window. The 14th-century north chapel (now vestry) has a two-light window with much-renewed tracery. Woodyer's eastward extension is largely Decorated in style but includes a three-light Perpendicular east window. The south aisle is buttressed, with one buttress partly rebuilt in red brick. Three-light Perpendicular windows feature cinquefoil-headed lights with Tudor arched heads and considerable stonework renewal.

The tower is a particularly striking feature. It is three stages in height with red brick banding to the lower stage and clasping toothed pilaster buttresses to the upper stages, set above a red brick platband. A pierced red brick parapet crowns the design, with obelisk pinnacles bearing ball finals. Windows and doorways throughout have proud architraves with keyblocks and capitals. The west face displays a pedimented clockface, housing an 1857 clock.

The south west porch is remarkable and exceptionally well-preserved. It is timber-framed and gabled, with renewed cusped and pierced bargeboards. Although extensively repaired, the front posts and spandrels flanking the doorway are carved from solid timber, with blind tracery carved into the spandrels. The construction above the doorway and side walls appears largely 19th-century with ad hoc repairs, though the design of a plain crown post braced to the collar purlin may be original. The timber-framed sides rest on a flint base, with flint infill in the panel tier below the middle rail. Above the rail, the front contains five-light square-headed timber mullioned openings with traceried heads, whilst the rear has panels filled with diagonal boarding.

Interior

The nave is roofed with a medieval four-bay Perpendicular crownpost roof, the crownposts displaying moulded capitals and bases with four-way bracing. The south chancel chapel contains a probably late medieval boarded and panelled roof with flat carved bosses at rib intersections. A 19th-century parclose screen, made locally, separates this chapel.

The south arcade comprises six bays with engaged shafts, capitals, and moulded arches, extending one and a half bays into the chancel. The south aisle retains a probably late medieval tie beam and common rafter roof. The chancel roof is 1860s work, boarded and panelled, including one bay of the nave. A 19th-century stone reredos features painted figures beneath ogee arches, with stone panelling extending across the sanctuary width. Octagonal responds support the moulded arch leading to the north chapel.

Stone flag flooring salvaged from Shoreham Place was laid throughout the nave during 1955–1957. A particularly impressive late medieval timber rood screen (restored) extends across the full width of the nave and south aisle, featuring a rood loft with lierne vaulting. The main doorway to the nave is off-centre, and the south end projects across one aisle window. This is reported to be the only surviving screen in Kent that extends across the full width of a church.

Fittings and Contents

The church contains a plain medieval octagonal stone font with a rustic conical font cover, said to be Tudor. A timber drum pulpit, designed by Blore in 1827, was transferred from Westminster Abbey; it features well-proportioned blind Gothic tracery beneath crocketted gables. The organ case, also from Westminster Abbey, dates from 1730. Simple nave benches with open backs and ends remain in place.

Stained glass includes a 1903 window by Morris and Company to a design by Burne-Jones. A 14th-century tomb canopy adorns the north wall. Wall monuments include four early 18th-century examples by Henry Cheere, commemorating members of the Borrett family.

Setting

The path to the church from the village is planted with Irish yews, said to date from 1867.