Description

GILLINGHAM CHURCH ROAD
TM 49 SW
8/57 Church of St. Mary
5-9-60

GV I

Parish church. C12 fabric much 'restored' and extended in 1858-9 to the design
of the architect Penrice of Lowestoft. Flint with limestone dressings; plain
tiled roofs, steeply pitched. Western annexe or narthex, nave with north
and south aisles, apsed chancel, central tower. West doorway C12: one order
of shafts with cushion capitals, simple roll moulded arch and hood mould with
billet decoration on renewed corbelstops. 2-light Perpendicular west window
above doorway. South wall has one round headed C12 lancet and a doorway with
pointed arched head with wave moulding and plain chamfered reveal. Square
central tower with engaged corner shafts and round headed sound openings
with chevron decoration on north and south. Twin bell openings in each face
with central shaft and cushion capital all in large semicircular headed recess,
the arches decorated with roll, billet and bobbin moulds. Narrow blind arched
opening on each side of bell opening. Billet moulded string course above;
later parapet on corbel table with head corbels. Small lean-to chambers
on north and south sides of tower lit by single semicircular headed window.
C19 north and south aisles in Romanesque style; the south aisle has a
tripartite west window and circular window in gable apex; pilaster buttresses
divide window bays. Polygonal chapel projection on east gable. Gabled bellcote
over parapet of nave east gable. C19 chancel apse with single light
semicircular headed windows. Stone modillion eaves cornice around east end.
Chimney stack in angle between chancel and north aisle, stone chimney with
engaged shafts. North aisle as south, but with one-light semicircular headed
east and west window. C12 north doorway to narthex: one order of shafts with
restored volute capitals, zigzag arch and billet hood mould. Interior: narthex
has simple braced rafter roof, much repaired; moulded cornice, wallposts with
angel bases. Base of tower well preserved: four plain semicircular arches
on plain imposts, corbelled out slightly on south-east and south-west piers.
Deeply splayed reveals to north and south windows. Nave roof of braced
rafters and arch braced principals; wallposts with angels at bases. Cornice
with two tiers of castellations. C19 Romanesque arcades of three bays: massive
piers and responds with zigzag and spiral decoration. C19 north and south
aisles. Roll moulded semicircular chancel arch. Apse has two bays of blank
arcading below each window. Plastered ceiling to apse with ribs on shafts.
Chancel floor paved with C18 slabs to Bacon and Schutz families. Brass to
John Everard (d.1553) C19 font-square bowl on spiral moulded round stem.
Two panels of C15 screen preserved on north wall of narthex: traceried with
much original colour and lettering. Good wall monument to Nicholas Bacon
(d.1666) - cartouche framed by Corinthian columns and entablature with arms,
all on console brackets.

Listing NGR: TM4115792261

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537487

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)