St James' Church, Cooling
Encyclopedia
St James' Church, Cooling, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Cooling
, Kent
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands in the Hoo peninsula
, 6 miles (10 km) north of Rochester, with only marshland to the north between it and the River Thames
.
in the 19th century, when a vestry
was added, and the porch was rebuilt. It was declared redundant on 19 November 1976 and vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 31 May 1978. It is now cared for by a group known as the Friends of St James' Church. The church is open daily to visitors.
The churchyard provided the inspiration for the opening chapter of Charles Dickens
' book Great Expectations
, in which the hero of the story, Pip, meets the convict, Magwitch. In 2005 the musician Jools Holland
married the sculptor Christabel McEwan in the church.
and chalk
, with some repairs in sandstone
. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave
with a south porch, a chancel
with a south vestry, and a west tower. The windows in the nave date from the early 14th century, and those in the chancel from the 15th century.
The north doorway is blocked, but its 500-year-old timber door is still present, and still swings on its hinges. In the chancel are a triple sedilia
and a double piscina
. The font
dates from the 13th century, and consists of a square bowl supported by five piers
. The pulpit
dates from the 18th century. At the west end of the church are six benches that probably date from the 14th century; the others were replaced in 1869. There are four memorial slabs in the floor of the nave. One of these is dated 1611. Another is to the memory of Feyth Brook, who died in 1508. She was the wife of Thomas Brook, Lord Cobham, who lived in Cooling Castle
. The interior of the vestry is completely lined with cockle
shells, the emblem
of Saint James. The stained glass in the east window dates from 1897; it depicts the Ascension, and was made by Clayton and Bell
. The ring
consists of three bells, all dating from the 17th century, but these are no longer ringable. The single-manual
organ was probably made in about 1880 by A. Kirkland.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Cooling
Cooling, Kent
Cooling is a village and civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula, overlooking the North Kent Marshes. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 209....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands in the Hoo peninsula
Hoo Peninsula
The Hoo Peninsula is a peninsula in England separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. It is dominated by a line of sand and clay hills, surrounded by an extensive area of marshland composed of alluvial silt. The name Hoo is the Old English word for spur of land.-History:The Romans...
, 6 miles (10 km) north of Rochester, with only marshland to the north between it and the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
.
History
The church originates from the 13th century, with its building continuing into the following century. The upper part of the tower was added later, and was completed by about 1400. The church was restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century, when a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was added, and the porch was rebuilt. It was declared redundant on 19 November 1976 and vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 31 May 1978. It is now cared for by a group known as the Friends of St James' Church. The church is open daily to visitors.
The churchyard provided the inspiration for the opening chapter of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' book Great Expectations
Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
, in which the hero of the story, Pip, meets the convict, Magwitch. In 2005 the musician Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
married the sculptor Christabel McEwan in the church.
Architecture
St James' is constructed in a variety of stone, including ragstone, flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
, with some repairs in sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a 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...
with a south porch, a 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...
with a south vestry, and a west tower. The windows in the nave date from the early 14th century, and those in the chancel from the 15th century.
The north doorway is blocked, but its 500-year-old timber door is still present, and still swings on its hinges. In the chancel are a triple sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
and a double piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 13th century, and consists of a square bowl supported by five piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The 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...
dates from the 18th century. At the west end of the church are six benches that probably date from the 14th century; the others were replaced in 1869. There are four memorial slabs in the floor of the nave. One of these is dated 1611. Another is to the memory of Feyth Brook, who died in 1508. She was the wife of Thomas Brook, Lord Cobham, who lived in Cooling Castle
Cooling Castle
Cooling Castle was built in the 1380s by John Cobham on the edge of marshes at Cooling, six miles north of Rochester, Kent. It is now about two miles inland. It was besieged by Thomas Wyatt the younger during Wyatt's rebellion in 1554; Lord Cobham surrendered after a brief resistance...
. The interior of the vestry is completely lined with cockle
Cockle (bivalve)
Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....
shells, the emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
of Saint James. The stained glass in the east window dates from 1897; it depicts the Ascension, and was made by Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of three bells, all dating from the 17th century, but these are no longer ringable. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was probably made in about 1880 by A. Kirkland.
External features
In the churchyard is a chest tomb dating from the early or middle part of the 18th century. It has been designated as a Grade II listed building. Also in the churchyard is a row of 13 children's gravestones, measuring about 18 inches (46 cm) long; these have come to be known as "Pip's Graves".See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England