Description

TR 035 252
6/92

OLD ROMNEY
Church of St Clement

9.6.59

GV
I
Parish church. C13, C14 and C15 with alterations of C19, and 1930, restored 1959-1968 by Anthony Swaine. Mixed stone with pebble-dashed mortar. Upper part of east gable end of chancel rebuilt in brick. East gable end of nave weatherboarded. Plain tile roofs. Wood shingles to spire. Nave. West tower to south aisle. Narrower chancel with north and south chapels, chapels stopping short of east end. Small north-east chapel to nave, projecting to north. Walls of chancel chapels continuous with south aisle and nave chapel. North porch.

Nave: west end: C13. Battered plinth. Gable recessed above wall-plate. Three-light C14 reticulated west window extending above wall-plate with stonework of gable padded out round head. C13 two centred arched chamfered west doorway with broach stops and scroll-moulded hoodmould with turned ends.

South-west tower: C13. Probably integral with nave but possibly built within south aisle later in century. Projects slightly to west with renewed quoins. Single stage with battered plinth. Diagonal south-east and south-west buttresses on moulded plinths. Splay-footed octagonal spire. Narrow chamfered rectangular north window, small triangular-headed west window, narrow rectangular brick south window and chamfered east lancet, all beneath eaves. Brick relieving arch half-way down west side. West doorway with possibly original chamfered pointed-arched stone head and C19 brick jambs.

South aisle and south chapel: C13. No plinth. Gabled, roof much lower than nave and slightly lower than chancel. Four south and one east buttresses. One C19 two-light C14-style south window with original cill. C19 three-light C14-style reticulated east window with hoodmould and cavetto mullions, bases of which may be original. Blocked two-centred arched stone doorway now less than 5 feet high at west end of south elevation, partly covered by south-east tower buttress.

Chancel: C13. Tall battered plinth. Single south buttress and north-east angle buttress. C19 cusped 2-light south window. C19 two-light C14-style east window with hoodmould and with stone jamb of an earlier window immediately to north. No north window.

North chancel chapel and north-east nave chapel: C13, possibly of two periods. Large brick diagonal north-east buttress and broad brick north buttress. East window placed assymmetrically to south, of three lights with cavetto mullions, segmental head and hoodmould, inserted soon after 1511 (Roper, 1983). Small chamfered north lancet to chancel chapel. C19 two-light C14-style north window to nave chapel and chamfered west lancet. North elevation of nave: no windows.

North porch: on a C14 site (Roper, 1983) but apparently C19. Brick in Flemish bond on chamfered brick plinth, with tile-hung gable. C19 wood double doors, square headed, each with fielded panels. C13 chamfered pointed-arched inner doorway with inward-turning scrolls to hoodmould.

Interior: structure: two-bay south arcade to nave of two unchamfered pointed arches springing from rectangular piers with chamfered imposts. Broad pointed chamfered arch to north-east nave chapel with rolled chamfer-stops and chamfered imposts. Narrow rendered unmoulded round-headed chancel arch, possibly C18. Single opposed arches to north and south chancel chapels, both pointed, chamfered and springing from semi-octagonal piers with scroll-moulded, undercut imposts and chamfer-stopped bases. No arch between two north chapels. Plain imposts to chamfered pointed arch between south aisle and chapel. Two low, narrow unchamfered tower arches springing from plain imposts, one to south aisle and one, blocked, to nave on north side of tower.

Roof: crown-post roof to nave; four trusses, three with tall rebated crown-posts with broach stops, two to centre with moulded cambered tie-beams and short pendant posts with solid braces. Truss against west wall cut through either side of window. Sous-laces. Ashlar pieces to moulded cornice. Chancel roof has common rafters with morticed collars, sous-laces and ashlar pieces. North chapels roofed together, with apex central to north chancel chapel. Moulded tie-beam. Common rafters with asymmetrical scissor-braces. Ashlar pieces to north, and to south side of nave chapel. Moulded north cornice. South chapel roof C17 or repaired in C17; scissor-braced common rafters with ashlar pieces and chamfer-stopped wall-plate to south. South aisle has lean-to side-purlin roof internally.

Fittings: No stoups or piscinae. Stone seating to south-west corner of nave and south wall of south chapel. Chamfered pointed-arched hagioscope, largely renewed, between nave and chancel to north of chancel arch. Chamfered cambered-arched squint between nave and chancel to south of chancel arch. Rectangular opening between nave and north chancel chapel, possibly entrance to rood-loft stairs, containing small wood doorway to east with pointed arch and solid spandrels. Fragment of stone keel moulding within opening to north. Loose moulded stone fragments, one with dog-tooth ornament.

Medieval altar stone in north chancel chapel, with consecration crosses. Early C14 rectangular font in south-west bay of nave arcade with deep black marble bowl on rectangular, chamfered, roll-stopped central pillar. Circular column to each corner with bell capital and base under square abacus, the latter supported by tiny figures, heads and leaves.

Remains of C15 wood screen between south aisle and chapel. Stairs to tower of two parallel beams with pegged triangular treads, unusual and possibly C17. C17 Communion table. Early C18 altar rails. Early C18 reredos with lightly-moulded base and cornice and four pilasters with raised panels between them bearing Lords Prayer, Creed and Decalogue. C18 hexagonal pulpit with raised and fielded panels, formerly a three-decker (Roper, 1983). Lower desk, also with fielded panels, now to north side of nave. Late C18 gallery across west end of nave on four Doric columns, containing tiers of boarded seats with shaped arm-rests. An unusual survival on the Marsh.

Four blocks of C18 box pews to nave and south aisle, with fielded panels. Low late C18 chinoiserie gates to south aisle (rest now in Church of St George, Ivychurch) (Roper,1983). Six text boards; two oval, four rectangular. Royal arms 1800 over chancel arch. Chest, possibly Dutch, inscribed "Anna Diercks Anno 1768".

Listing NGR: TR0209123556

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Clement, Old Romney at Wikipedia
• Church of St Clement, Old Romney official website
• Wikidata Q17529997

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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