Monday 18 February 2013

St Mary's Chiddingstone

This is the church of St Mary's in the village of Chiddingstone in Kent. It appears there have probably been 3 or 4 churches on this site, the earliest one being Saxon and  mentioned in the 'Doomsday of the Monks' dated 1086. Part of the present church dates back to the 14thcent and additions such as the tower were built in the 15thcent. The church was struck by lightning in 1624 and extensive damage was done which required the rebuilding of part of the church but it is not clear how much renovation was done. Evidence in the form of receipts recording the amount spent £649 (approx £250.000 in today's money) and what was bought give historians an idea of the amount of work undertaken.







The small graveyard surrounding the church made it difficult to take a reasonable photo as I couldn't step back far enough.

The tower contains 8 bells which were recast after the fire of 1624. During the 18thcent the bells were always rung on Royal birthdays, Gun Powder Treason Day (5th Nov), and Coronation Day.

This is the Font, which was made from sandstone  in 1628 by a master mason. It cost £3. 10s in old money.
This brass chandelier was a gift to the church in 1726.


This is a picture of the Hatchments which hang from the walls in the South aisle. On the death of a person, a hatchment of their coat of arms was displayed above their doorway during the period of mourning (12 months). It was then removed and placed in the church as in the picture below.


The hatchments were made of wood, framed in black and the coat of arms painted in oils. I have never come across these before. The earliest one at Chiddingstone is from 1627 and the latest one is from 1852. If you want to see more of Chiddingstone Village look at http://60andthenext10.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/chiddingstone-village.html


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27 comments:

  1. biebkriebels18 February 2013 at 10:51

    The church looks beautiful, I like the wooden ceiling. Great it is so well preserved.

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  2. Billy Blue Eyes18 February 2013 at 11:25

    You need a wide angle lens to get in closet to get the whole tower thoughh it does tend to distort the picture a little. Great write up could not tell you the earlest Hatchment I have come across though I have seen a few.

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  3. Anonymous18 February 2013 at 11:33

    I can't get past Gun Powder Treason Day. Haha.

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  4. eileeninmd18 February 2013 at 12:08

    It is a pretty church, I love the tower!

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  5. CrazyCris18 February 2013 at 12:29

    Beautiful! I love old churches!!! :o)

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  6. DJan18 February 2013 at 13:36

    Very interesting! Gun Powder Treason Day? I don't think that's celebrated in many places! :-)

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  7. Betsy Banks Adams18 February 2013 at 15:40

    Hi There, love seeing the old church.. We visit old churches when we have a chance. I'd love to see that one! The font is awesome --and I enjoyed reading about the hatchments (a term I have never heard before).

    We are back from a week in beautiful Arkansas. Hope you had a great week.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. Dianne18 February 2013 at 19:01

    I'm amazed ar that exquisite chandelier having been crafted way back in 1726 ... I should imagine when it's all lit up at night it would be truly magnificent.
    A lovely post.

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  9. Jenn Jilks18 February 2013 at 23:33

    What a delightful visit, via your photos! WOW.
    Cheers from Cottage Country!

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  10. mick19 February 2013 at 00:52

    Great photos of a very beautiful church. It is so interesting to see so many things from so long ago - in Australia we only have just over 200 years of history.

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  11. Sylvia K19 February 2013 at 01:00

    Lovely old church and great shots for the day! Love the history!! Enjoy your week!!

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  12. Anonymous19 February 2013 at 01:52

    Fascinating post for OAT ~ Excellent photography of such landmarks. ^_^

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  13. Kusum19 February 2013 at 02:38

    Gothic structures have their own charm. Great information.

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  14. Karen19 February 2013 at 03:24

    Great shots and interesting history.

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  15. Rajesh19 February 2013 at 03:54

    Wonderful shots of the church.

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  16. Jill Harrison19 February 2013 at 05:30

    I love old churches. They have a wonderful feeling of peace and sanctuary. I love that old vine over the door - it looks like it has been there for hundreds of years.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog today to say hi. Have a wonderufl week.

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  17. Anonymous19 February 2013 at 07:09

    What a lovely church.

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  18. diane b19 February 2013 at 07:33

    These glorious old churches have wonderful stories to tell. An interesting post. Did you take any shots of the old graveyard. The stones usually make a good read.

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  19. Stewart M19 February 2013 at 10:10

    I laugh when people mention that I live in an old house! I resist pointing out that old really is a relative term!

    By the end of the boat trip, it would be fair to say the kids were cold, my wife was cold and I was very glad I had a jumper!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  20. NatureFootstep19 February 2013 at 10:55

    I like the Font. :)

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  21. magiceye19 February 2013 at 16:21

    Beautiful images!!

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  22. A Colorful World19 February 2013 at 17:11

    Such an amazing place! I would love to see it in person! Thanks for coming by and commenting on my Desert Views post!

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  23. EG CameraGirl19 February 2013 at 17:46

    I have to admit I envy you living so close to this much known history.

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  24. Unknown19 February 2013 at 20:16

    Beautiful photos of a lovely church! I love the history of these places, and thank you for writing so much information about it. As an American, the history that goes back for centuries really fascinates me.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. :)

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  25. Joe Todd19 February 2013 at 20:45

    I love exploring places like this..Very well done

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  26. Al19 February 2013 at 21:09

    What a great old church. The tower of the church in the village in Norfolk where my father was born dates from before the battle of Hastings, but it's much smaller than this church.

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  27. Carver19 February 2013 at 21:26

    Fascinating post and great shots.

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