Church of St Michael and All Angels, Fant, Kent

Summary

Anglican church. Built in 1875 to 1876 to the design of the architect (Sir) Arthur Blomfield by the contractors Messrs George Naylor of Rochester in Early English and Decorated Gothic style.

Description

Anglican church. Built in 1875 to 1876 to the design of the architect (Sir) Arthur Blomfield by the contractors Messrs George Naylor of Rochester in Early English and Decorated Gothic style.

MATERIALS: constructed of Kentish ragstone with Bath Stone dressings and red tile roof coverings.

PLAN: cruciform plan with a north-west bell tower, four-bay gabled nave flanked by aisles, transepts and a chancel with a lower gabled roof. The north transept contains a Chapel of the Ascension and the south transept accommodates a vestry adjacent to a Lady Chapel. At the west end of the nave is a lean-to baptistry.

EXTERIOR: the church is situated at the corner of Tonbridge Road and St Michael’s Road. It is orientated ENE to WSW, aligned with the street grid. (Note: the following description is simplified to the cardinal points; for example, chancel at east rather than ENE). The main north front, facing Tonbridge Road, has from west to east: a prominent crenelated tower with a turret at the south-west angle; the lean-to north aisle with a gabled porch at the east end beneath the nave clerestory; the north transept, which has a canted projection at the east end; and the chancel. A ragstone plinth carries around the return walls and there is a cill course and band courses to the tower. At the foot of the north face of the tower is a pointed doorway of three moulded orders containing timber double doors with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges. It is flanked by stepped angle buttresses. Above the doorway is a single lancet window with trefoil tracery, then two square-headed cusped lancets beneath a clock and, higher still, a two-light pointed bell chamber window with trefoiled Y-tracery. The top of the tower has a crenelated parapet and gargoyle rainwater spouts. The other sides of the tower also have a similar design. Continuing along the north front, the north aisle has three trefoil-headed windows to each of the first three bays separated by buttresses, a pointed doorway to the porch, and two small quatrefoil lights. Above it there are seven two-light windows with cusped Y-tracery under pointed arches to the nave clerestory. The north transept contains a three-light window with cusped tracery and quatrefoils under a two-centred arch with a hoodmould. There is a small round window in the gable end and a cross finial. Further east, the apse of the transept chapel has single cusped lancets and the main chancel of the church contains two-light pointed windows with Y-tracery to the north and south.

The east elevation has a large five-light window with elaborate geometric tracery and numerous quatrefoils to the chancel and a three-light pointed window to the south transept. The south elevation is similar to the north, except there is a porch with a shouldered-arch doorway next to the south transept which contains four lower lancet windows and two upper lancet windows beneath a carving of St Michael and hoodmould in the gable. At the west end of the nave there are two two-light windows with cusped tracery and quatrefoils under pointed arches and then a small rose window and cross finial to the gable. Beneath it, the baptistry lean-to is entered via a pointed doorway at the south and has quatrefoil windows to the west.

INTERIOR: there is an entrance to the church via a porch that leads into the south aisle. Immediately adjacent to it is a vestry and sacristy in the south transept; the former is situated beneath a Henry Willis organ (built 1887, electrified 1926) whilst the latter contains a trefoil-headed piscina, a fireplace and a painted panel of Christ. Both the side aisles have a black and red tiled floor and exposed timber roof beams and trusses. The stained glass of the north aisle is largely devoted to Old Testament angels whilst that to the south aisle has a scheme of New Testament angels, variously by Hardman and Company of Birmingham and Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The aisles are separated from the nave by four pointed arches resting on pillars formed of a cluster of engaged columns. Both the nave and aisles contain timber pews and the nave has an open arched-braced roof with collar ties and rafter ties, which is supported on corbels between the clerestory windows. At the west end of the nave are stained glass windows depicting four miracle stories from the gospels, installed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1898. The baptistry beyond is entered through a paired arcade of three pointed arches resting on columns. It contains an octagonal stone font with a stem formed of engaged columns with foliage capitals and a bowl carved with fishnet panels. The stained glass windows in this part of the church depict Noah’s ark, the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, the Baptism of Christ and His ministry to children.

The chancel is separated from the nave by a large chamfered pointed arch, above which is a painting of the Crucifixion by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Immediately in front of it is a 1970s platform with a wrought-iron and timber rail, a timber altar and a stone pulpit carved with pierced trefoil tracery panels. Ashburton marble steps lead up into the chancel past a low wooden Gothic screen. The chancel contains polychromatic tiling, wooden choir stalls, a pointed arch sedilia and gabled aumbry, as well as an elaborate oak reredos featuring panels painted with the apostles and saints against a gold backdrop. The walls of the chancel previously had a painted scheme of 1890 comprising palm branches, pomegranate plants and angels but this was painted over in the 1960s and the wagon roof also boarded over with panels painted to a Campbell Smith scheme. The stained glass of the east window depicts Christ in Majesty whilst those to the sides depict angels; the archangel Michael at the south, and Gabriel and Raphael at the north, all installed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1881. The Chapel of the Ascension in the north transept is separated from the chancel by a wooden screen of three bays with elaborate pierced curvilinear tracery and a pierced cornice. It contains two medieval misericord seats which were originally in St Frideswide’s chapel at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, a stone piscina and a wooden altar. The north memorial window of 1921 depicts the ascended Christ. The church tower has a turret with a newel staircase rising to the ringing chamber, a chamber containing a clock of 1877 by T Cooke and Sons of York, and belfry.

History

The following is largely based on Cleggett’s history of St Michael and All Angels (see Sources). In the later C19, the Westborough suburb of Maidstone developed rapidly, and the existing Church of St Peter was soon found to be inadequate for the needs of the area. It was decided that a new church should be built. Frederick Scudamore, a prominent local solicitor and Under Sheriff of Kent, donated the site and funded a large part of the cost of construction, alongside other benefactors. (Sir) Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899) was appointed as architect and the contractors were Messrs George Naylor of Rochester. Blomfield was one of the last great Gothic Revivalists and was also a prolific architect whose primary activity was church building and restoration (Waterhouse and Elliott, 2009). His reputation was such that he was awarded the royal gold medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1891 (Ibid). Surprisingly, Blomfield’s initial design for the church was not enacted. The construction plan was to build the nave, aisles and lower part of the tower, adding the remainder of the building as funds became available. However, it was soon discovered that this plan would not allow the church to be consecrated because the altar would not be in its proper place and unless it was consecrated grants would not be received. Blomfield was asked to modify his design and at this stage he produced a plan based on his church at Epsom, Surrey (Grade II*-listed) built the previous year, 1874.

The foundation stone for the Church of St Michael and All Angels was laid on St Michael’s Day, 29 September 1875 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Archibald Campbell Tait. The church was finished and consecrated in 1876. The St Michael’s Stained Glass Window Society was formed in 1880 and, together with individual benefactions, a scheme incorporating angels based on their biblical appearances was completed over a number of years, by the two firms Hardman and Company and Heaton, Butler and Bayne. In 1878, a low wrought iron screen was added at the entrance to the chancel, which was in turn replaced by an oak screen with gothic tracery and a cross in 1898 before this was itself removed in 1960. Parts of the early wrought-iron screen were incorporated into entrance gates to the north and south transepts. Six bells were cast for the church by John Warner and Sons of Croydon between 1875 and 1878, which were recast to make seven in 1979 at Whitechapel Bell Foundry. An eighth bell of 1866, re-cast in 1933, was acquired from St Paul’s Church, Penge, in 1974, and the bells are still situated within the original wooden bell frame. A clock manufactured by T Cooke and Sons of York was installed in 1877. However, the clock bell is older, having originally been cast in 1734 for Burham Old Church by Richard Phelps of Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In order to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1887, a painting of the Crucifixion by Heaton, Butler and Bayne was placed over the chancel arch. An organ was also installed at this time, which was built by Henry Willis, with electric action added in 1926. To commemorate Frederick Scudamore, the reredos of the high altar was erected in 1890 to the design of Sir Arthur Blomfield with paintings by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The Ashburton marble steps to the sanctuary were also installed in 1900. A Chapel of the Ascension was added to the north transept as a memorial to Kate Arkcoll, a benefactor of the church, in 1903. It was designed by Nicolson and Corlette with an apse set in the east wall, a reredos (removed in 1957), and a screen between the chapel and the choir designed and carved by Kuchemann of London. A stained-glass north window was added to the chapel in 1921 as a First World War memorial. The chapel contains two medieval misericord seats which were originally in St Frideswide’s chapel at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. In 1934, a Lady Chapel was added to the south aisle. The church was partly redecorated in 1960 and the walls of the sanctuary, which since 1890 had a painted scheme featuring palm branches, pomegranate plants and angels, were painted over. The wagon roof of the chancel was also boarded over and decorated with a Campbell Smith and Company painted scheme. A nave altar was erected in about the 1960s, in line with wider liturgical changes, before being replaced by a new platform and altar from St Peter’s Church in 1976.

Reasons for Listing

The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Maidstone, built to the design of the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield in 1875 to 1876, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest

* the church forms a large and impressive external composition which is well detailed in Bath Stone and Kentish ragstone;

* for the high quality fixtures and fittings including: two medieval misericords, a particularly good scheme of Victorian stained glass by the firms Hardman and Company and Heaton, Butler and Bayne, an elaborate oak reredos by Sir Arthur Blomfield, a painting of the Crucifixion above the chancel arch, and a finely carved stone pulpit;

* as a design by the distinguished and prolific architect Sir Arthur Blomfield, one of the last great Gothic Revivalists, who has many listed buildings to his name;

* although the church has undergone some changes to the original scheme, there is a relatively high degree of survival and continuing integrity.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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