St Mary Church, Horton Kirby

LOCATION: This church is situated in the Darent Valley with the Court Lodge (or Horton Castle) immediately to the west, and the river beyond that. The church is just under 100ft above OD, and the main settlement lies not far to the south. The settlement of South Darenth lies in the parish to the NE with its own ruined chapel (see Hasted II, 494).

DESCRIPTION: The unusual architectural history of this church was first worked out by F C Elliston Erwood in 1924 (and published in 1948 in Arch Cant 61, 53-6). Though a church is first mentioned here in Domesday Book, the earliest visible masonry seems to date from the very end of the 12th century. The central crossing tower, and north and south transepts, have some stylistics parallels with the enlarged eastern arm of Rochester Cathedral. Both use the same type of small ashlar diagonally-tooled blockwork in Reigate stone. The half arches on the west sides of the transepts into the earlier aisles suggest, however, that there may originally have been an earlier twelfth century aisled nave here, and in the west wall of the nave there are several reused carved stones that must have come from an earlier church.

Horton Kirby is also an unusual church because of having a cruciform plan with large monumental crossing arches. This suggests that in the later 12th century at least it was one of the most important churches in the Darenth Valley. Along with the monumental crossing (sadly the tower above it with a spire on top was destroyed in 1816), are the two contemporary transepts which each had two altars set in their own recesses in the east wall. This is a smaller version of the eastern transepts of Rochester Cathedral. The use of bar-stopped chamfers and deep-moulded abaci also reflect the eastern arm of Rochester Cathedral, and some of the masons marks are similar in both places.

The chancel may also have been of the same date, but unfortunately it was demolished and rebuilt in a shortened form in c.1821. The three lancets on either side in their rebuilt form also contain elements of later 12th century work (shaft rings, square abaci and early foliated capitals). The chancel was originally nearly twice as long and had six lancets on each side (see earlier views, like that on by H. Petrie from the S.E.). Externally the lancets have later medieval fragments built into them. As Elliston Erwood has pointed out there is no doubt that an aisled nave was replaced by the present 31 feet wide nave in the later 14th century. It was been suggested that the earthquake was responsible for this, but this seems unlikely as the crossing tower shows no obvious signs of cracking. A combination of the nave being in poor condition, and 'Block Death' depopulation, could also perhaps be suggested.

In the nave only the lowest section of the west wall survives from the earliest nave, though even here a new 14th century west doorway has been inserted. The north doorway is now blocked, but the south doorway leads into a curious porch of which the southern half is an early 14th century structure, later lengthened to the north when the nave wall was moved northwards. Even the porch roof reflects this, in that a moulded tie-beam running across the centre of the porch must originally have been constructed to but against the earlier nave wall.

There is a fine crown-post roof of later medieval date over the nave, and a later medieval spiral stair-turret has been built on the north-west side of the chancel. The top of the turret, as with the tower above, was rebuilt after 1816. The fine timber spire (said to be 108ft. high) on top of the tower, was also removed at this time. It was also perhaps constructed in the 14th century.

In 1816 George Smith was paid £1,135. 2s. 1½d. (quoted in church guide) to take down the tower and steeple, and to rebuild the tower (in yellow brick). He also did repairs to "the north and south wings" (transepts), and the brick external repairs on the east side of the transepts can still be seen.

The chancel was then demolished and rebuilt a few years later (c. 1821) by Mr Sharpe, as we have seen.

Finally in 1862-3, the church got its Victorian restoration under Ewan Christian.

BUILDING MATERIALS: (Incl. old plaster, paintings, glass, tiles etc.):
Some Roman bricks, flint, etc. with Reigate stone for earliest ashlar work. Also some Caenstone and Ragstone.

Yellow brick used for 1816 rebuilding of tower and transept repairs.

EXCEPTIONAL MONUMENTS IN CHURCH:
Some fine monuments have been repositioned in the chancel - listed in church guide (they are mainly 18th cent. monuments to the Bathurst family of "Franks". Also brasses of Alice Drayton (ob.1468) and John Browne (ob.1595).

CHURCHYARD AND ENVIRONS:
Size: Large

Condition: Quite good-overgrown to north of church.

HISTORICAL RECORD (where known):
Earliest ref. to church: Domesday Book

Evidence of pre-Norman status (DB, DM, TR etc.): ?

Late med. status (vicarage\appropriation): Vicarage
Appropriated to Cobham College in 1377-8 by Sir John de Cobham, then vicarage endowed (see Reg. Draft 431-2).

Patron: At the Dissolution in 1540, to the Crown, then to various lay owners of the nearby manor of Franks.

Other documentary sources: Hasted (1797), 505-9.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD:
Reused materials: Roman bricks + some 12th century architectural materials (particularly in W. wall).

SURVIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS:
Inside present church: Good

Outside present church: ? Good

RECENT DISTURBANCES\ALTERATIONS:
To structure: C R Conner, Lost Glass from Kent Churches (1980) 65 records some remains of painted glass in the south transept, which was removed 'some years ago' when the windows were repaired.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:
The church and churchyard: Though shorn of its tower, spire and chancel in early 19th century, this church still retains exceptionally fine crossing arches and transepts of the late 12th century. It also has a rebuilt nave of the later 14th century was a good crown-post roof.

The wider context: The late 12th century masonry has strong connections with the masonry of the eastern arm of Rochester Cathedral.

REFERENCES: F C Elliston-Erwood "The Church of St Mary, Horton Kirby", Arch Cant 61 (1948) 53-6 + good plan.
S Glynne, - Notes on the Churches of Kent (1877), 275-6 (He visited in 1831).
Also for E Cresy's (early 19th cent.) notes, see Trans. Dartford Ant. Soc. No. 2 (1932), 15ff.

Guide Book: By Horace Balls (1963 + 1981) New version by present vicar, 1991 - very crude plans.

Plans & drawings: Some earlier drawings with Victor (copies in church). Also Petrie view of S.E. (early 19th cent.) showing 13th cent. chancel, and 1786 pencil sketch.

DATE VISITED: 22/12/92                                      REPORT BY: Tim Tatton-Brown