Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin

Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, West Malling

This is a parish church of mixed dates, combining a Norman west tower with 13th-century chancel, 14th and 15th-century vestry (much restored in the 20th century), and a completely rebuilt nave and aisles of 1901–03 designed by Micklethwaite. The 1901–03 work largely replaced an earlier classical design of 1778 by Guilt. The building is constructed of ragstone rubble, with the nave and aisles of coursed rubble with Bath stone dressings and Portland stone plinth. The roofs are tiled with a shingled spire, and the structure comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, north porch, chancel, and vestry.

The west tower is three stages tall, featuring a crenellated parapet and broached shingled spire topped by a gilded weathervane. Corner buttresses support the tower. The west face has a louvred lancet window to the bell storey and a ground-floor arched doorcase with renewed hood moulding containing a 18th-century six-panelled arched door, one panel fitted with a metal grille. The south face has a single lancet to the lower floors and a large gault brick round-headed arch serving the bell stage. The east face displays two louvred trefoiled windows at bell-storey level. The spire is broached and shingled.

The nave and aisles are built of galleted ragstone blocks with Bath stone dressings and Portland stone plinth, with clerestorey windows and crenellated parapets to the aisles. The north aisle contains two triple Kentish traceried windows, a buttress, and a gabled porch with a cross-shaped saddlestone. The south aisle has three similar windows. The west wall of the south aisle retains remains of the 1778 aisle with Portland stone end quoins. The east wall of the nave, north aisle, and south aisle preserves the c1778 end wall, which includes an oculus with four keystones to the nave dated 1780, Portland stone quoins, and cambered blocked windows with keystones to the north and south aisles. A later cross-shaped saddlestone crowns the apex of the gable.

The chancel features a restored triple lancet east window. Its north front has two restored lancets and a 13th-century arched doorcase with dogtooth moulding. The vestry, attached to the south, is 14th and 15th-century in origin but substantially restored in the 20th century. It is built of stone rubble with a band of ironstone, an ironstone door surround, and a timber-framed gable.

Interior: The nave comprises four bays with a half-bay at the west end, over which sits an organ gallery. The gallery balcony displays elaborately carved wooden arms of James II at its centre. The organ gallery holds two wooden and two stone tablets listing benefactions. The gallery stairs have unusual fretted balustrading with squared newel posts capped by finials. A 14th-century style font and an 18th-century Wren-style font are present. The aisle walls contain a series of good 18th-century wall monuments. Floor slabs include one basalt slab. The nave roof is five-canted boarded with crenellations.

The chancel retains a 13th-century collar beam roof and a 14th-century archway to the vestry in the south wall. Remains of 13th-century sedilia survive, though partially obscured by the early 17th-century Brett Monument. This is a fine monument in alabaster and plaster commemorating Sir Robert Brett (died 1620), his wife, and his son. It comprises a deep plinth supporting a round-headed canopy borne on double Ionic columns, decorated with shields and putti. Full-sized horizontal effigies of Sir Robert and Lady Brett in prayer attitudes occupy the centre, with a kneeling daughter to the right and a skeleton in a shroud to the left. A 17th-century wall tablet to Dame Jane Fitzjames is located in the north aisle. An early 16th-century brass to Elizabeth Pierrepoint survives (only the upper half of the figure remains), and a brass to William Millys (died 1497), measuring 15½ inches, depicting a civilian. Good 18th-century wall tablets are also present.