KAS Churches Visit to Maidstone: All Saints and the Unitarian Church
The KAS Churches Committee run a series of very successful visits to places of worship around the country, after which a short report appears in the committee round-up. This expanded article on recent visits highlights the expertise of the guides and analysis of the buildings which KAS visitors enjoy so much.
The town of Maidstone provided two unusual and contrasting churches as subjects for the Churches Committee evening visits of Monday 25th June. The period, setting, size, and character of the parish church of All Saints, and the unassuming Unitarian church (tucked away within the Market Buildings) and the associated ideologies could hardly have been more diverse!
The history of All Saints is that of a new, imposing, building on the earlier site of St. Mary's church, the concept of a medieval archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop William Courtenay, together with the simultaneous foundation of a secular college with master and twenty-four clerks (as permitted by pope and king in 1399) within the archiepiscopal manor of Maidstone, in a prominent situation adjacent to the Archbishop’s Palace by the River Medway. The task of completion fell to Courtenay’s successor, Thomas Arundel; interestingly, each of these archbishops had, prior to accession, been chancellor to Richard II. Impressive as this cathedral-like church is – probably the largest parish church in Kent – there had been plans for an even grander scheme, which originally included vaulting for which evidence survives in the south choir aisle, and porch.
The Rev. Christopher Morgan-Jones’ interest and depth of knowledge regarding the history of the church, and its relationship with the town, were evident during his account to visitors. Enlarging on the relevance of various features and images, he told of the inclusion in the church of four chantry chapels, including one for the town’s Fraternity of Corpus Christi guild; decorative sedilia and original choir stalls in the chancel dedicated for use by college and clergy; the vast area of nave and aisles for the parishioners, with benches along the walls, for the weak; of how the latest perpendicular building style was followed, with design of windows comparable with near-contemporary work at Winchester, and of a connection with Henry Yevele, who was responsible for work at Canterbury Cathedral. In Maidstone, though, the archbishop was “lord of all he surveyed”, and could exercise patronage here to reward his servants and favourites.
The form of the medieval building is largely unchanged, despite Victorian re-roofing, other than alterations to decoration, and removal, or insertion, of fittings. The Reformation, and dissolution of religious houses and charities that followed, brought most change to Maidstone’s church: a staircase being left, however, as evidence of the earlier position of a rood screen; the plate and valuables of the church were sold to found a grammar school at Corpus Christi hall in the town, and the church left with only a curate to minister to the parish.
National political upheaval had local repercussions: it was probably responsible for later damage to features within the church, including defacing of the unusual wall-painting over the tomb of John Wotton, first master of the College of All Saints, in the south choir aisle; Andrew Broughton, mayor, one of the signatories to the death warrant of King Charles I, had the later duty of officially announcing the restoration of the monarchy, visitors were told, before fleeing the country! From that time, two maces were used during official ceremonies held in the church: one with, and one without, the royal crown. Church monuments include that of the royalist Astley family, a brass enumerating generations of the locally important Beale family, and a memorial to Lawrence Washington (related to George Washington).
The Unitarian chapel, apparently first-built of Maidstone’s non-conformist churches, in 1736, has also had connections with characters of national importance. William Hazlitt, essayist, was son of one of its early ministers of the eighteenth century. There is a parallel with All Saints in that it suffered a lack of a resident minister, and in this case the stipend apparently never reached the level of £200 per annum required to induce Alexander Farquharson, a
Liberal M.P., and minister from 1905 to 1926 ("A Peerless Preacher of Righteousness" commemorated by one of the few wall-plaques in the building), to take up residence locally instead of in London. Visitors were told, too, of a period when seats were in such demand that a charge was made, despite a capacity of well in excess of two hundred. (There had been record of past near-capacity congregations at All Saints numbering as many as two thousand in the early nineteenth century.) Beyond this, similarity between the two appears to end.
In addressing his audience, albeit not from the pulpit originally high enough to be on a level with the balcony on three sides, Mr. Preece explained the liberal attitude of the Unitarian Church, with emphasis on religious freedom and denial of self-interest, with no creed or dogma, such that it is often a choice for mixed-religion marriages. Lay preachers might come from London or elsewhere; there is no adherence to any church calendar. Regarding the building, he drew attention to the roof and its elaborate framing - apparently of an unusual early form of suspended ceiling - with details recently photographed during renovations. There had been a past extension of accommodation at the west end, and two additional rooms provided. The general impression is of mostly plain decoration, but with some stained glass windows. Ground-floor seating consists of high-sided pews, with benches in the balcony, where a Bevington organ replaces the original organ.
Mr. Alan Larcombe, through research using church minute-books dating back to the late 1700s, was able to recount a variety of events and local history aspects: members of the Barcham-Green paper mill-owning family, and their workforce, attending the church; the opening of a bank account in 1888; formation of the ladies’ sewing circle in 1889 to raise funds; the raising of the stipend to £150 in 1907; an organ recital held in 1909. These books record numbers of the congregation on different occasions, and attribute poor summer attendance to wet weather in 1910, but to the dry weather in 1911!
It is interesting to note that in a book called Kent’s Capital, dated 1899, there is a record of the number of places of worship in Maidstone, many of which still exist, even if their use has changed. These would have had an impact on attendance at both churches: All Saints was one of ten Church of England churches, and The Unitarian one amongst thirteen that were non-conformist.
The knowledge and enthusiasm of those currently involved and caring for these two churches, with their lively and informative talks, made a valuable contribution to a revealing and fascinating evening visit.
Deborah Goacher
BELOW: The Unitarian Church.