St. Margaret's Church, Rochester
Encyclopedia
St Margaret's Church, Rochester is now a Chapel of Ease
within the parish of St Peter with St Margaret, Rochester
. Previously it was the parish church
of St Margaret's Without (that is, outside the city walls of Rochester). Hasted records it as having previously been called St Margaret's in Suthgate. The building is a Grade II* listed building, English Heritage number 173172.
. From the time of Bishop Gundulph until the appointment of William Talvez in 1272 as Vicar St. Margaret's was a chapel of the parish of St. Nicholas. There was at that time no parish church of St. Nicholas, instead the parochial alter was housed in the nave of Rochester Cathedral
. From this dependency it has been suggested that St. Margaret's was a chapel of ease to the Cathedral, but the Cathedral itself was never a parish church.
During the reign of King Richard I
(1157 – 1199), bishop Gilbert de Glanville
gave the church to his hospital in Strood. After several appeals to the pope the monks of Rochester regained control of it in 1255. The early vicars, up to 1401, received only a yearly stipend from the convent. A settlement in that year endowed the church and established a vicarage and lands for the support of it. In 1488 the convent finally relinquished control, the bishop reserving to himself episcopal rights. In 1540, during the reformation
, the church was surrendered into the King's hands and subsequently settled on the newly founded Dean and Chapter of Rochester.
The earliest, and only medieval, part of the building is the tower which was either constructed or restored in 1465. The medieval church consisted of a nave and two chancels to the south of the nave, of this nothing remains. During the reign of Charles II of England
(de facto 1660-1685) a coronet "set round with precious stones" was dug up in the churchyard. It was supposed locally that a Saxon King had been buried there.
The original parish was rural, stretching from the city walls of Rochester in the North to Borstal in the South. During the 18th and 19th centuries the City of Rochester expanded South into the parish. Expansion of Rochester to the North and West is blocked by the River Medway
and to the East by Chatham
. The medieval church became inadequate for the growing population and in 1823 rebuilding started. The nave
was complete the following year, the original chancel
, tower and side chapels being retained. With the exception of the tower the medieval buildings were demolished a few years later and by 1840 the basic fabric of the present building was complete. A new East window was installed in 1872.
Internally the 1840 triple-decker pulpit
was lowered and moved in 1872, as were the box pews from the nave. At the same time the west end gallery was removed and the original barrel organ replaced with a small organ at the East of the South aisle. This was not to last for long, for in 1877 it was replaced by the current organ which necessitated removing the gallery above it. A new reredos
and alter were added in the early 20th Century.
Following amalgamation of the parishes of St Margaret and St Peter, St Margaret’s again became a chapel of ease. Severe damage to the roof in the storms of 1987 and 1990 added to existing consideration of its closure. However local efforts have kept the building viable and over £100,000 has been spent on internal improvements.
brick walls and a low pitched slate roof. The side windows are typical iron frames of the period, with separate gallery and ground floor openings. The East end features the 1872 Neo-gothic window with three lights.
The West end is dominated by the medieval stone tower. The stone is random laid ragstone with flint dressings in parts. The tower is crenellated with three stages. The lowest stage is divided externally by a string course between the door and the window. Above it is the old ringing chamber and above that the bell chamber. In the Northeast corner of the tower, adjacent to the nave wall is a small stair turret with an external door. This gives access to the old ringing chamber, the bell chamber and the roof. There are three step diagonal buttresses
on the Western corners, the East of the tower is effectively buttressed by the nave. A perpendicular style three light window above the West door illuminates the ground floor.
A lych gate to the south of the church leads into the southern section of the graveyard which has generally been levelled. Some of the stones form a path from the lych gate to the nave door and beyond to the west door. Others have been placed against the boundary wall. The resulting area is pleasant open grass with superb views across the Medway valley. Conversely, the tower dominates the skyline when viewed from Strood. The northern section of the graveyard (which has its own access from the street)has more of the grave markers still in situ. The east end of the church has additional doors leading to the vestries and the stairs to the gallery.
In 2008 the tower had a major restoration with some replacement of stones. The roofs (tower and turret) were replaced and work to the bell chamber louvres was carried out..
below and are carried up to the ceiling as Ionic style
. The base of the tower is a few steps lower than the nave and is the current ringing chamber.
The present choir stalls were installed in 1898.
The 21st century has seen two adaptions at the West end. A kitchen has been built in the Northwest corner and a WC in the Southwest. New heating has been installed.
of Hull. It was modified and extended by Browns in 1902.
Five bells were recorded in 1552 but the earliest extant bell is from 1621. This is currently number 6 but was then the third of five. Three years later the number 7 bell (then the fourth) was recast. In 1761 the 4 and 8 (then treble and tenor) were recast. In 1790 number 5 (then the second) was recast and a new treble added to make a six bell ring. However Hasted records five bells in 1798 which was the position before the 1790 recasting and augmentation. In 1884 the 4 and 8 (then two and six) were again recast. Finally in 1896 two new trebles were added to make the existing ring of eight.
For the latter quarter of the 20th century the bells were unringable, but a major project in 2005-6 saw the bells removed, retuned (at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
) and rehung in a new frame. They are now rung from the ground floor instead of the 1960 ringing chamber.
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
within the parish of St Peter with St Margaret, Rochester
Rochester
- United Kingdom :* Rochester, Kent* Rochester Castle, a medieval building in Rochester, Kent* Rochester , a Young Offenders Institution in Rochester, Kent* Rochester, Northumberland- United States :* Rochester, Illinois* Rochester, Indiana...
. Previously it was the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St Margaret's Without (that is, outside the city walls of Rochester). Hasted records it as having previously been called St Margaret's in Suthgate. The building is a Grade II* listed building, English Heritage number 173172.
History
The first record of St Margaret's is in an 1108 charter of Bishop GundulfGundulf of Rochester
Gundulf was a Norman monk who came to England following the Conquest. He was appointed Bishop of Rochester and Prior of the Cathedral Priory there; built castles including Rochester, Colchester and the White Tower of the Tower of London and the Priory and Cathedral Church of...
. From the time of Bishop Gundulph until the appointment of William Talvez in 1272 as Vicar St. Margaret's was a chapel of the parish of St. Nicholas. There was at that time no parish church of St. Nicholas, instead the parochial alter was housed in the nave of Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
. From this dependency it has been suggested that St. Margaret's was a chapel of ease to the Cathedral, but the Cathedral itself was never a parish church.
During the reign of King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
(1157 – 1199), bishop Gilbert de Glanville
Gilbert Glanvill
-Life:Glanvill was a clerk of Baldwin of Forde, the Archbishop of Canterbury and also archdeacon of the diocese of Lisieux.Glanvill was elected to the see of Rochester on 16 July 1185 and ordained a priest on 21 September 1185. He was consecrated on 29 September 1185. He died on 24 June...
gave the church to his hospital in Strood. After several appeals to the pope the monks of Rochester regained control of it in 1255. The early vicars, up to 1401, received only a yearly stipend from the convent. A settlement in that year endowed the church and established a vicarage and lands for the support of it. In 1488 the convent finally relinquished control, the bishop reserving to himself episcopal rights. In 1540, during the reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, the church was surrendered into the King's hands and subsequently settled on the newly founded Dean and Chapter of Rochester.
The earliest, and only medieval, part of the building is the tower which was either constructed or restored in 1465. The medieval church consisted of a nave and two chancels to the south of the nave, of this nothing remains. During the reign of Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
(de facto 1660-1685) a coronet "set round with precious stones" was dug up in the churchyard. It was supposed locally that a Saxon King had been buried there.
The original parish was rural, stretching from the city walls of Rochester in the North to Borstal in the South. During the 18th and 19th centuries the City of Rochester expanded South into the parish. Expansion of Rochester to the North and West is blocked by the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
and to the East by Chatham
Chatham
-Places:In England:*Chatham, Kent**Chatham Dockyard, frequently referred to simply as "Chatham"**Chatham Historic Dockyard, a maritime museum that occupies part of the site of Chatham Dockyard...
. The medieval church became inadequate for the growing population and in 1823 rebuilding started. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was complete the following year, the original chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, tower and side chapels being retained. With the exception of the tower the medieval buildings were demolished a few years later and by 1840 the basic fabric of the present building was complete. A new East window was installed in 1872.
Internally the 1840 triple-decker pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was lowered and moved in 1872, as were the box pews from the nave. At the same time the west end gallery was removed and the original barrel organ replaced with a small organ at the East of the South aisle. This was not to last for long, for in 1877 it was replaced by the current organ which necessitated removing the gallery above it. A new reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and alter were added in the early 20th Century.
Following amalgamation of the parishes of St Margaret and St Peter, St Margaret’s again became a chapel of ease. Severe damage to the roof in the storms of 1987 and 1990 added to existing consideration of its closure. However local efforts have kept the building viable and over £100,000 has been spent on internal improvements.
Exterior
Externally the main body of the church is an undistinguised 19th century building. The plan is nearly a plain rectangle with renderedCement render
Cement rendering is the application of a thin premixed surface ofsand, cement and lime plaster to brick, cement, stone or mud brick. It isoften textured, coloured or painted after application...
brick walls and a low pitched slate roof. The side windows are typical iron frames of the period, with separate gallery and ground floor openings. The East end features the 1872 Neo-gothic window with three lights.
The West end is dominated by the medieval stone tower. The stone is random laid ragstone with flint dressings in parts. The tower is crenellated with three stages. The lowest stage is divided externally by a string course between the door and the window. Above it is the old ringing chamber and above that the bell chamber. In the Northeast corner of the tower, adjacent to the nave wall is a small stair turret with an external door. This gives access to the old ringing chamber, the bell chamber and the roof. There are three step diagonal buttresses
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
on the Western corners, the East of the tower is effectively buttressed by the nave. A perpendicular style three light window above the West door illuminates the ground floor.
A lych gate to the south of the church leads into the southern section of the graveyard which has generally been levelled. Some of the stones form a path from the lych gate to the nave door and beyond to the west door. Others have been placed against the boundary wall. The resulting area is pleasant open grass with superb views across the Medway valley. Conversely, the tower dominates the skyline when viewed from Strood. The northern section of the graveyard (which has its own access from the street)has more of the grave markers still in situ. The east end of the church has additional doors leading to the vestries and the stairs to the gallery.
In 2008 the tower had a major restoration with some replacement of stones. The roofs (tower and turret) were replaced and work to the bell chamber louvres was carried out..
Interior
The interior of the church is based on the 1824 preaching chapel design. The rectangular interior is reduced in width at the East end by vestries and stairs. The galleries down both sides contribute to an impression only of a cruciform shape. The supporting wooden columns are in Doric styleDoric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
below and are carried up to the ceiling as Ionic style
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
. The base of the tower is a few steps lower than the nave and is the current ringing chamber.
The present choir stalls were installed in 1898.
The 21st century has seen two adaptions at the West end. A kitchen has been built in the Northwest corner and a WC in the Southwest. New heating has been installed.
Notable connections
- Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield of HMS MinotaurHMS Minotaur (1793)HMS Minotaur was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 6 November 1793 at Woolwich. She was named after the mythological bull-headed monster of Crete.-Career:...
(74 guns, 3rd rate) which fought at the battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
during which he captured the enemy 80 gun ship NeptunoSpanish ship Neptuno (1795)Neptuno was an 80-gun Montañes-class ship of the line of the Spanish Navy. She was built in 1795 and took part in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. She fought with the Franco-Spanish fleet in the battle of Trafalgar, and was wrecked in its aftermath.Neptuno was built at Ferrol and...
. There is a memorial to him in the North gallery.
- Dame Sybil ThorndikeSybil ThorndikeDame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE was a British actress.-Early life:She was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to Arthur Thorndike and Agnes Macdonald. Her father was a Canon of Rochester Cathedral...
was the daughter of Canon Arthur Thorndike who moved to Rochester to become Vicar or St. Margaret's. Sybil taught in the Sunday School.
- Russell ThorndikeRussell ThorndikeArthur Russell Thorndike was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh novels...
, actor and children's author, brother of Sybil, born while his father was Vicar.
- John NewtonJohn NewtonJohn Henry Newton was a British sailor and Anglican clergyman. Starting his career on the sea at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of...
, reformed slaver turned abolitionist and priest. Composer of "Amazing GraceAmazing Grace"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
". He was married in the medieval church in 1750 to a local girl.
Organ
The current organ is based on the 1877 instrument by Forster and AndrewsForster and Andrews
Forster and Andrews was formed by James Alderson Forster and Joseph King Andrews , who had been employees of the London organ builder J. C. Bishop.They opened the business that bore their name in Hull in 1843...
of Hull. It was modified and extended by Browns in 1902.
Bells
There is a ring of 8 bells with the tenor weighing 9 cwt 2 qtrs 8 lbs tuned to G flat hung in the English style for full circle ringing.Five bells were recorded in 1552 but the earliest extant bell is from 1621. This is currently number 6 but was then the third of five. Three years later the number 7 bell (then the fourth) was recast. In 1761 the 4 and 8 (then treble and tenor) were recast. In 1790 number 5 (then the second) was recast and a new treble added to make a six bell ring. However Hasted records five bells in 1798 which was the position before the 1790 recasting and augmentation. In 1884 the 4 and 8 (then two and six) were again recast. Finally in 1896 two new trebles were added to make the existing ring of eight.
For the latter quarter of the 20th century the bells were unringable, but a major project in 2005-6 saw the bells removed, retuned (at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
) and rehung in a new frame. They are now rung from the ground floor instead of the 1960 ringing chamber.