St Mary's Church, Luddenham
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Luddenham, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Luddenham, 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 a farmyard some 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Faversham
.
was added during the following century. The tower was rebuilt in 1807, the church was restored
in 1881–84, and the porch was added in 1889. The church was declared redundant on 16 May 1972, and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 1 March 2002. It is open daily to visitors.
, some of which has been rendered
. It contains some re-used Roman
tiles, the upper part of the tower is in brick, and the roofs are tiled. Its plan is simple and consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a tower in the southwest corner. The lower part of the tower dates from the 12th century, it is built in flint, and its quoins
are Roman tiles. The upper part dates from the 1807 rebuilding, it is in brick, and has a battlement
ed parapet
. The west door is Norman
and is decorated with zigzags. The windows in the nave are lancets
dating from the 14th and 19th centuries. The chancel has paired lancets in the east wall, and two separate lancets in the north wall. Inside the church is a 13th-century coffin lid carved with hands holding a heart.
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 Luddenham, 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 a farmyard some 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
.
History
The church dates from the 12th century, and the chancelChancel
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...
was added during the following century. The tower was rebuilt in 1807, the church was restored
Victorian 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 1881–84, and the porch was added in 1889. The church was declared redundant on 16 May 1972, and was 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 1 March 2002. It is open daily to visitors.
Architecture
St Mary's is constructed in 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...
, some of which has been rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. It contains some re-used Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
tiles, the upper part of the tower is in brick, and the roofs are tiled. Its plan is simple and consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a tower in the southwest corner. The lower part of the tower dates from the 12th century, it is built in flint, and its quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
are Roman tiles. The upper part dates from the 1807 rebuilding, it is in brick, and has a battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The west door is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
and is decorated with zigzags. The windows in the nave are lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
dating from the 14th and 19th centuries. The chancel has paired lancets in the east wall, and two separate lancets in the north wall. Inside the church is a 13th-century coffin lid carved with hands holding a heart.
External features
In the churchyard are three structures designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the north of the chancel is a monument dating from the early 19th century. Its inscriptions are illegible. North west of the church is a chest tomb, also dating from the 19th century with illegible inscriptions. Southwest of the church is a pair of headstones dated 1745 and 1747. They are carved with heads, skulls and a bible, in a heart-shaped surround.See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England