St Mary's Church, Higham
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Higham, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Higham
, 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 near the end of a road to the north of Lower Higham, some 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Rochester.
. The present church was rebuilt after the Conquest, and it still contains some Norman
features, despite later additions and alterations. During the 12th century a nunnery
was founded nearby, and in about 1280 it moved to a site opposite the church. In 1357 the nunnery received a papal
indulgence
to raise money for repairs. It is thought likely that this was used to build a new south aisle
for the church, which is as large as the original nave
. The nunnery was closed in 1522. In 1710 the spire was built. The church was repaired and restored in the early part of the 19th century. The south porch was built during the 19th century. In 1863 the church was restored
by an architect with the surname of Speechley, and new furniture was installed. The windows were replaced "copying what was there before". However by the middle of the century the centre of Higham's population had moved away from the area of St Mary's, and a new church, dedicated
to St John
, was built nearer to the railway station and the main road in 1862.
and ragstone
, the flint being arranged to give the appearance of horizontal stripes. A buttress
at the southeast corner includes some galletting (where slivers of flint have been pushed into the mortar), and other buttresses have tiles inserted between the stones. The roof is tiled, and the spire is shingled
. The plan of the church consists of a nave and a south aisle of almost equal size. At the east end of the nave is the Lady Chapel
, which had been the chancel
of the original church. The present chancel is at the east end of the south aisle. The nave also contains two small rooms, the larger one acting as the vestry
, the other being entered only from the outside of the church. The north wall contains Norman
features, a blocked window and the outline of a doorway.
arcade
. Dividing the nave from the Lady Chapel is a wooden 15th-century rood screen
. This is carved and has five arches, the central one forming the doorway. Between the arches are columns, each of which is surmounted by a small spire. The carved wooden pulpit
dates from the same era. The font
is Norman, and the rest of the furniture dates from the 1863 restoration
. The Lady Chapel contains two tombs, one of which is dated 1615, and an aumbry
complete with its door. In the south wall of the chancel is a piscina
and a medieval
tomb. On the wall on each side of the altar are panels inscribed with the Ten Commandments
, the Lord's Prayer
, and the Creed. The stained glass dates from the 19th and 20th centuries.
in the Redundant Churches Fund, the forerunner of the Churches Conservation Trust, in 1987. In the same year St Mary's was replaced as the parish church
by St John's Church. During the 21st century, further repairs to the stonework of the south aisle, porch and east end have been organised by the Trust. In the wall of the south aisle, the external flint
work has become separated from the core of the wall, and work has been undertaken to pin the two together. In early 2009 a group known as The Friends of St. Mary's Church was founded to work with the Trust, to raise money for the church, and to organise events.
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 Higham
Higham, Kent
Higham is a small village bordering the Hoo Peninsula, in Kent, between Gravesend and Rochester. The civil parish of Higham is in Gravesham district and as at the 2001 UK Census, had a population of 3,938.-History:...
, 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 near the end of a road to the north of Lower Higham, some 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Rochester.
Early history
St Mary's was founded in the Saxon era, and a church was in existence on the site before the Norman ConquestNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. The present church was rebuilt after the Conquest, and it still contains some 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...
features, despite later additions and alterations. During the 12th century a nunnery
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
was founded nearby, and in about 1280 it moved to a site opposite the church. In 1357 the nunnery received a papal
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
to raise money for repairs. It is thought likely that this was used to build a new south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
for the church, which is as large as the original nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The nunnery was closed in 1522. In 1710 the spire was built. The church was repaired and restored in the early part of the 19th century. The south porch was built during the 19th century. In 1863 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...
by an architect with the surname of Speechley, and new furniture was installed. The windows were replaced "copying what was there before". However by the middle of the century the centre of Higham's population had moved away from the area of St Mary's, and a new church, dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
to St John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
, was built nearer to the railway station and the main road in 1862.
Exterior
The church is constructed in a mixture of 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...
and ragstone
Rag-stone
Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones which are quarried in thin pieces, such as the Horsham sandstone, Yorkshire stone, the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. By rag-stone, near London, is meant an excellent material from the...
, the flint being arranged to give the appearance of horizontal stripes. A buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
at the southeast corner includes some galletting (where slivers of flint have been pushed into the mortar), and other buttresses have tiles inserted between the stones. The roof is tiled, and the spire is shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
. The plan of the church consists of a nave and a south aisle of almost equal size. At the east end of the nave is the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, which had been the chancel
Chancel
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...
of the original church. The present chancel is at the east end of the south aisle. The nave also contains two small rooms, the larger one acting as the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, the other being entered only from the outside of the church. The north wall contains 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...
features, a blocked window and the outline of a doorway.
Interior
The church is entered by the 15th-century south door which is finely carved with motifs including roses, lilies and human faces. Between the nave and the aisle is a three-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
. Dividing the nave from the Lady Chapel is a wooden 15th-century rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
. This is carved and has five arches, the central one forming the doorway. Between the arches are columns, each of which is surmounted by a small spire. The carved wooden pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from the same era. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is Norman, and the rest of the furniture dates from the 1863 restoration
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...
. The Lady Chapel contains two tombs, one of which is dated 1615, and an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
complete with its door. In the south wall of the chancel is a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
and a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
tomb. On the wall on each side of the altar are panels inscribed with the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, and the Creed. The stained glass dates from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Recent history and present day
Further repairs were carried out to the roof and spire of St Mary's during the 20th century. After the church was declared redundant, it was vestedVesting
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 Redundant Churches Fund, the forerunner of the Churches Conservation Trust, in 1987. In the same year St Mary's was replaced as the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
by St John's Church. During the 21st century, further repairs to the stonework of the south aisle, porch and east end have been organised by the Trust. In the wall of the south aisle, the external flint
Flint
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...
work has become separated from the core of the wall, and work has been undertaken to pin the two together. In early 2009 a group known as The Friends of St. Mary's Church was founded to work with the Trust, to raise money for the church, and to organise events.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England