St Peter's Church, Swingfield
| St Peter's Church, Swingfield | |
|---|---|
 St Peter's Church, Swingfield, from the south | |
  St Peter's Church, Swingfield Location in Kent | |
| 51°08′47″N 1°11′28″E / 51.1465°N 1.1910°E | |
| OS grid reference | TR 233 434 |
| Location | Swingfield, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Status | Former parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 29 December 1966 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint with stone dressings Tiled and slated roofs |
St Peter's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Swingfield, some 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Hawkinge, Kent, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2]
History
[edit]St Peter's dates mainly from the 13th century, with fabric possibly from the 11th or 12th century. Alterations were made in the 15th century, and the church was restored in 1870.[1] It was declared redundant on 1 August 2000,[3] and vested in the Churches Conservation Trust in 2011.[4] The church has connections with the Knights Hospitaller, the former chapel of a commandery being located close to the village.[2][5][6]
Swingfield church was part of a chain of measuring points for the trigonometric survey linking the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Paris Observatory in the late eighteenth century. This Anglo-French Survey was led by General William Roy, and used cross-channel sightings from nearby Dover Castle and Fairlight Down on the South Downs.
Architecture
[edit]The church is constructed in knapped flint with stone dressings. The roofs of the body of the church are tiled, and the tower roof is slated. Its plan consists of a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, a slightly narrower chancel, and a west tower.[1] The tower dates from the 13th century,[2] or from the late 15th century.[1] It is in three stages, standing on a stone plinth. It has angle buttresses, a plain parapet, and a pyramidal roof with a weathervane. On the west side of the tower in the bottom stage is a low doorway, above which is a small rectangular window, with a small lancet window between them. The bell openings have two lights, with a sexfoil (six-lobed window) above them. To the southeast of the tower is a circular stair turret, rising to a greater height than the tower, with slit windows and a plain parapet.[1] Close to the porch are two mass dials (sundials).[2]
Inside the church is a four-bay arcade carried on alternate circular and octagonal piers. There are two aumbries, one in the north wall, the other in the south wall. The font is octagonal.[1] It dates from the 14th century, and was restored to the church in 1914, having been found in a garden. The stained glass in the west window and in a south window dates from the 20th century.[2] In the 17th century the church had a ring of three bells. Two of these were sold towards the end of the 18th century. The remaining bell was cast in 1696 by John Wood.[7]
External features
[edit]In the churchyard is an 18th-century monument that has been listed at Grade II.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Historic England, "Church of St Peter, Swingfield (1242414)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 11 April 2015
- ^ a b c d e St Peter's Church, Swingfield, Kent, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ Diocese of Canterbury: All Schemes (PDF), Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2011, p. 5, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ Our newest addition, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ Page, William, ed. (1926), "Houses of Knights Hospitallers: The preceptory of Swingfield", A History of the County of Kent, Victoria County History, vol. 2, University of London & History of Parliament Trust, p. 176, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ History and Research: St John's Commandery, English Heritage, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ Swingfield, St Peter, Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent, retrieved 8 February 2012
- ^ Historic England, "Monument to Henry (Collard?) about 5 metres east of chancel of Church of St Peter, Hawkinge (1260035)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 February 2012