Parish Church Of St Lawrence

Parish Church of St Lawrence

This parish church stands on a spur above the High Street in Bidborough. It is graded as a listed building of special architectural or historic interest.

The church originates from the 12th century as a small nave and chancel structure. A two-bay north aisle with a lean-to roof was added in the 13th century. The chancel was probably rebuilt in the late 14th century but underwent substantial restoration in 1876-77. The west tower dates to circa the late 14th or early 15th century. The south aisle and porch were added in 1876-77 by the architect Ewan Christian, who also probably replaced the nave and north aisle roofs at the same time. A vestry was built in 1956.

The medieval masonry consists of large, roughly-dressed blocks of local sandstone, possibly quarried immediately south-east of the church. Nineteenth-century masonry is of sandstone rubble, while 20th-century masonry is snecked sandstone. The roof dates to the 19th century and is tiled with crested ridge tiles. A timber and stone porch was added in the 19th century.

The chancel features large diagonal buttresses and a three-light east window in late Decorated style with a hoodmould and label stops, though the tracery is largely 19th-century work. A two-light south chancel window from the 14th century retains its hoodmould and label stops. On the north side, the nave preserves one small round-headed window of the 12th century or possibly earlier, set high in the wall, and a 13th-century lancet. The two-bay Early English north aisle has chamfered lancet windows to its east and west ends and in the north wall, along with a 13th-century two-centred chamfered north doorway with pyramid stops. The 1870s south aisle includes a south-west buttress and reuses medieval features, with a two-light 19th-century east window with intersecting tracery and a similar three-light west window. East of the porch stands a restored square-headed two-light window of the 15th or early 16th century with a hoodmould and trefoil-headed lights. West of the porch is a one-light trefoil-headed window with debased cusping.

The 1870s timber gabled porch sits on a stone base and features cusped bargeboards and glazed trefoil-headed lights. The reset south doorway incorporates a partly-blocked 12th-century doorway with detached shafts topped by cushion capitals and a tall plain rounded-headed arch. Above this is a circa late 14th-century moulded doorway with a hoodmould. A plank door of circa late 15th or early 16th century, with massive strap hinges, hangs in this opening.

The low three-stage late 14th or early 15th-century Perpendicular west tower has a pyramidal spire and tall diagonal buttresses with set-offs. Its moulded three-centred west doorway features a hoodmould, and a two-light 16th-century square-headed west window has cinquefoil-headed lights with a hoodmould. Trefoil-headed one-light belfry windows appear on the north, south and west sides, with a trefoil-headed window to the ringing chamber on the south side. A clock dated 1851 is positioned above the west window.

Internally, the walls are plastered. An 1870s Early English-style moulded chancel arch springs from demi-shafts with bell capitals. A two-bay 13th-century Early English north arcade features two-centred arches with narrow chamfers springing from a square-section pier and responds. The pier is chamfered with bar stops. The chancel roof dates to circa the late 14th or early 15th century and is arch-braced with common rafters, ashlaring, and a richly-moulded tie beam. The nave, north and south aisle roofs are 1870s variants of this chancel roof design. A circa late 14th-century double-chamfered tower arch springs from octagonal responds with moulded capitals. A 19th-century chamfered arch connects the chancel into the east end of the south aisle, now used as an organ chamber. The three-bay Early English style south aisle of 1876-77 has its lower western arch into the tower blocked, with an arcade of double-chamfered arches on cylindrical piers bearing moulded capitals.

The font is probably 19th-century, comprising an octagonal sandstone bowl on an octagonal shaft with a flat 17th-century lid. A circa 1870s timber drum pulpit with pierced traceried panels stands on a stone base. Sanctuary fittings are largely early 20th-century, except for a medieval piscina and aumbrey in the east wall. Nineteenth-century choir stalls incorporate reused 15th-century poppyhead finials, and the nave contains 19th-century benches with shaped ends. A 19th-century dado, probably removed from the chancel, appears at the east end of the south aisle.

The church contains an important set of eight early 20th-century Morris and Company windows. Two of these—the east window and the two-light window in the south aisle—follow late 19th-century designs by Burne-Jones. The designs predominantly feature single figures set against decorative backgrounds and contrast with earlier Clayton and Bell windows: the east window, dated 1865, and the west window of the south aisle, dated 1878.

The church retains hanging oil lamps, converted to electricity, and is said to possess a bell dated 1684.