Church of St Mary, Brabourne, Kent

Description

TR 14 SW BRABOURNE THE STREET
(south side)

5/29 Church of St.
Mary
27.11.57

GV I

Parish church. Late C12 on a considerable scale, due to ownership
of Horton Priory, with C13 south aisle, C14 chapel, C15 fenestration
and top to tower. Restored late C19. Flint, with ragstone, with
plain tiled roof. Nave with west tower, south aisle and north porch.
Chancel with south chapel. Three stage west tower, the top stage a
C15 rebuilding in squared ragstone. Large 5 times offset buttresses
to south. Label headed belfry openings, C19 Perpendicular style west
window, and shafted C12 west doorway with roll mould and hood. Three
offset buttresses to south aisle, with raised brick eaves, restored
C14 2 light with quatrefoil window. Sharply pointed roll moulded
south doorway. Nave clerestorfy with 3 lancets on string course.
South chapel with C14 fenestration with encircled cinquefoils over
cinquefoiled lights, with hoodmoulds on carved heads. Chancel with
pilaster strip buttresses, 4 light Perpendicular east window with string
course and gable cross. Two round headed lancets in north wall, and
unusual priest's doorway, with billet moulded outer order, the 3rd
innermost order with three lobed pendant suspended from convex
tympanum. Nave north wall with 3 light Perpendicular window. Timber
north porch with moulded bargeboard with pendant with double boarded
doors and mullioned sidelights. The inner door with overlapped boards
and strap hinges in double wave-moulded doorway with hood and decayed
water stoup. Interior: large plain C12 tower arch with pointed C12
inner arch with moulded abaci; rebated lancet openings to clerestorey
and roof of 4 crown posts. South arcade of 3 bays of double chamfered
arches on round piers of Bethersden marble with deeply undercut capitals.
Identical arch from south aisle to south chapel. Roll moulded string
course in south aisle, raised over doorway, and lean-to roof. Large
chancel arch with nook shafts and voluted capitals and abaci with carved
head stops. Roll moulded and billet moulded arch and hood. Chancel
with string course enriched with fleur-de-lys and dogtooth. The
attached shafts to north and south resting on this stringcourse, and
twisted capital in south-west corner, indicate original intention to
vault the chancel. Present roof of crown posts, the easternmost bay
ceiled. Reveal of C13 lancet, blocked since construction of C14 south
chapel. Two C14 segmentally headed tomb recess/through arches to south
chapel, with wave mould and head stops, and integral depressed arched
doorway. Chapel, with exposed jambs of earlier external indows to
west and north walls and lean-to roof. Fittings: reredos and altar
chancel, raised c.1600 as a memorial to the Scott family, with 5 bay
arcaded reredos with Ionic pilasters and frieze and altar, with the
progress of the family's Arms from 1290 to 1562. Three cartouches at
top with Arms, the centre the full armorial bearings. Inscription:
The memorial of the just shall be blesed but the name of the wicked
shal rot. Made for Reginald Scott, founder of the Magic circles of
England U.S.A. Roundheaded aumbrey in north wall.
Restored trefoil headed piscina in square headed surround, part of the
easternmost tomb recess between the chancel and south chapel. Cusped
piscina in south chapel and aumbrey in north wall. C17 altar table
with twisted legs and fillet moulded stretcher. C17 lecturn and
octagonal pulpit, or C19 in C17 style. C20 brass chandeliers and
screen to tower. Medieval quarter-log stairs in tower. Glass:
chancel north window with original C12 floral glass, amongst the
earliest surviving complete windows in the country. Monuments:
Chancel: heart shrine, c.1300. Bethersden marble, with incised cross
in circle and side indents (for mosaics or inscription). Trefoiled
triangular back plate with ball flower and crockets and relief shield..
The heart it contained reputed to be William de Valence (d.1296) or John
Balliol, founder of Balliol College. Sir John Scott, (comptroller of the
Household to Edward IV) d.1485. Tomb recess on north wall. Traceried
panelled chest with shields with fluted octagonal piers to traceried
frieze and battlemented top. Grotesque enriched spandrels with ribbed
soffit. The 2 tomb recesses in south wall now empty. South Chapel:
hollow chamfered tomb recess for William Scott, who rebuilt the chapel
(as Trinity Chapel) 1420-30 (see brasses). Small (child's?).coffin
lid in floor with fleury calvary cross. C18 plaque with brass shield
and an apparently Welsh inscription on north wall, and white marble
architectural wall plaque on south wall to Arthur Scott, d.1756. Small
black marble wall plaque in south aisle to William Richards, erected
1672, with Latin inscription in raised and fielded surround with
scrolled and swagged cartouche and scrolled pediment. Nave north wall:
Ellen - wife of John Richards, d.1720. Plaque with cornice and winged
cherubs on apron. Two lead wall plaques on south aisle and north nave
walls, identical, recording the churchwardens and restoration 1700,
inscribed:
T W , with relief roses and horses, recording
T T Thomas Webb and Thomas Thompson

Brasses: In the south chapel: Sir William Scott, d.1433 (swordbearer
to HV). Large brass of a knight, feet resting on a greyhound. Denis
Harbord, d.1450. 35 inch brass of woman with flowing hair. Sir
William Scott, d.1524, knight, 26 ½ inches. Dame Elizabeth Poynings,
d.1528, 35 ½ inches. The jousting helm of Sir William Scott, c.1510,
and that of Sir Thomas Scott, late C16 survive in chancel. Royal
Arms of George II in south aisle. (See B.O.E. Kent II 1983 155-7).

Listing NGR: TR1030441783

External Links

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British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Mary

A Grade I Listed Building in Brabourne, Kent

Coordinates

Description

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