Nominal: 2751.5 Hz Weight: 220 lbs Diameter: 18.06" Bell 1 of 4
Founded by John Taylor & Son 1856
Dove Bell ID: 2002 Tower ID: 14370 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Davington: St Mary Magdalene w St Lawrence
Overview
Grid reference: TR 10 617
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
5-bay nave and chancel with clerestory and north aisle. 4-stage south-west tower. North porch. North-east vestry.
Dimensions:
[Approximate] Nave and chancel 20m (66ft) long x 5.5m (18ft) wide, aisle 2m (7ft) wide.
Footprint of Church buildings: 270 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The church dates to the 12th Century. A priory was founded here by Fulke de Newnham in 1153 as a Benedictine nunnery. By the time of Henry VIII’s dissolution no nuns remained. An oak board on the north wall records the clergy since 1538. Sir Thomas Cheyne, the King’s treasurer (associated with other nearby sites in Kent e.g. Shurland Hall) bought the priory in 1546. The choir of the church was demolished in 1580 but the nave was retained as a parish church.
An explosion at one of Faversham’s several gunpowder mills in 1767 caused damage to the east wall of the church and the south part of the Priory. Both underwent significant repairs and refurbishment by Thomas Willement in 1845 when he bought the site. Willement was a highly-regarded stained glass artist, heraldic scholar, decorative painter as well as an associate of Pugin and Salvin. He restored both buildings adding his own contributions and he lived at the former priory until 1871. Willement’s interventions included the construction of a vault beneath the vestry (where he is buried), the addition of an extra storey to the south-west tower which was rebuilt in 1856 (there were originally twin west towers which influenced those at Reculver, the missing tower was probably removed after the gunpowder explosion), the introduction of wall paintings which are documented by prints in the vestry, the introduction of his own stained glass and changes to the south clerestory windows.
Having survived as a private chapel the church entered the parochial system in 1932 when it was bought by the Central Board of Finance. Willement’s wall paintings were painted over, the box pews were removed and some of his glass was lost.
An archaeological excavation was undertaken at the priory in 1977. The site is of exceptional archaeological interest and potential. The Kent Historic Environment Record should be consulted prior to any development. The church is located within a conservation area, there are no further designations relating to the ecology of the site.
Exterior Description
St Mary Magdalene is set within trees on a hill ascending out of Faversham. The church is a focus of views leaving the town. Attached to the south is the privately owned Priory House, making the north the public elevation.
The church is constructed in flint with stone surrounds. A high-pitched nave roof is presided over by a four-stage south-west tower with round-headed windows in the upper three stages. It has a pyramid shaped roof of plain and scalloped roof tiles surmounted by a weather vane. Small lead figures project from each corner and a large lead spout in the form of a pig leans out between the south roof slope and the tower. In the north-west corner is the base of the former tower, its pitched roof rises half the height of the clerestory. Evidence of the first stage can be seen in the stone work on the west wall.
From the west the gabled priory is seen attached to the south. The church’s west elevation has three long round-headed windows with a further two smaller ones above. In the centre the original main entrance is rarely used. Stone carving around the door has eroded but delicate foliate capitals and dogtooth detail remain evident. Substantial iron door knockers (dog or lion heads?) punctuate the painted wood door.
On the north side a French drain runs around the footprint of the church. A flat-roofed aisle extends from the nave with four single, slightly pointed lancet windows. Directly above them in the clerestory wall are single round-headed windows. In the north-west corner a wooden porch projects with decorative barge-boards and diagonal roof tiles. Willement’s initials are carved in a shield to one side of the opening with the date, 1894, on the other.
At the east end the flat elevation has three tall pointed lancets and buttresses to either side. A stone cross finial tops the east gable. Hidden between the vestry extension to the north and domestic accommodation to the south carved heads can be seen in the place of stone kneelers. The vestry extension in the north-east corner has a chimney on the north side.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
12th century 5-bay nave, retained from original church
Chancel
12th century
Aisle
12th century north
Tower (component)
19th century rebuilt 4-stage tower
Porch
12th century
Building Materials
Flint
12th century
Ragstone
12th century local Kentish ragstone
Limestone
12th century dressings
Tile
12th century roof
Interior
Interior Description
Primary access is through the porch. The floor level drops by two steps into the north aisle (level access can be arranged via the west door). The nave space is tall and light. A round-arched arcade on square piers divides it from the north aisle, with a clerestory above. The windows have deep splays. The clerestory is blocked on the south side where the church abuts the Priory House, except where Willement introduced a Norman style window with glazing in the penultimate bay at the east end. A locked door half way along the south wall accesses the house and would once have lead into the north walk of the cloisters. The two western-most bays on the south side are arcaded and suggest the earlier presence of a south aisle. The western most bay is the base of the south-west tower where there is a basic kitchen point with kettle and microwave. The organ is in the adjacent bay.
In the base of the removed tower, in the north-west corner, is the baptistery with the font. A space has been cleared at the west end of the nave for a children’s area. East of the north door is an empty tomb recess beneath a low pointed arch, now hidden by a wooden case. At the east end of the north aisle a second altar in front of the door to the vestry. A medieval piscina has been reset within the east wall as well as a statue within a niche. In the north wall a single light is beneath a sexfoil window.
Electric light in the nave is provided by suspended light fittings with three lamps to a branch, probably of the 19th Century. The ceiling is formed by a plastered barrel vault with two substantial timber tie-beam trusses spanning the nave. The walls are plastered and painted with exposed stone surrounds. Very faint traces of Willement's wall paintings are visible as discolouration through the paint on the arches to the north and some text can be discerned around the internal south door. His fabulous, vibrant stained glass fills many of the windows. Level floors are paved in a mixture of tiles (aisles), red brick (base of towers and areas that would have been pewed) and ledger stones. Unfixed wooden chairs, c.1930, provide seating.
The chancel is within the space of the nave. In the east wall are three lancets, the central one longer, with a trefoil light above. The floor is paved in modern tiles. Either side of the altar are blocked pointed-arched doorways which would have provided access into the nun’s choir.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
20th century oak frame with six blind tracery panels, c 1930
Bell Frame
1856
Maker
J Taylor
Pickford
8.3.A.B
Date
1856
Visit
DLC 11/68
Description
OFJ
0
Jurisdiction
Number of Bells
Material
Pulpit
19th century stained timber octagonal pulpit by Willement c 1850 incorporating 16th and 17th century panels depicting the Resurrection and the four Evangelists. Raised on a stem with steps with twisted balusers. very good.
Lectern
19th century Decorative Gothic / Puginesque cut crass book slope on wrought iron base with red glass embellishment and attached candle holders.
Font (component)
19th century Carved circular Caen stone font by John Thomas in 1847. Inscribed. Drum decorated in carved figures including the four Evangelists. Positioned on a short stem with waterleaf decoration at the base and raised on a square plinth. Flat oak cover. Very good.
Rail
20th century oak verticals with carved blind tracery panels c 1930
Stained Glass (window)
19th century By Willement c.1845. 5 lights from the west end and some from the clerestory and the north-west window were removed in the 1930s when the Central Board of Finance took over ownership. Details are unclear. The clerestory glass was found and refitted. The north-west window has been recreated to Willement’s original designs which survived. West windows are now fitted with clear glass. • North aisle – 4 - the same, grisaille but each with a different symbol of the four Evangelists. • North wall, Lady Chapel – single light depicting Mary. • North-west, Baptistery – single light depicting St John the Baptist. • North clerestory – 4 – brightly coloured, alternating floral patterns. • East vestry window - mainly grisaille with Pelican-in-her-Piety. • East end - 3 lights – outer lights with six scenes and central light with seven scenes including the Temptation, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. • South clerestory – 1 – different to other windows, fragments of older glass? • South wall, over south door into attached priory house - St Mary Magdalene flanked by heraldic symbols.
Organ (component)
19th century Single manual organ by Joseph W Walker, 1847. Stencilled and painted pipes. Very interesting.
Bells
Nominal: 3301 Hz Weight: 160 lbs Diameter: 15.94" Bell 2 of 4
Founded by John Taylor & Son 1856
Dove Bell ID: 18075 Tower ID: 14370 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 2949 Hz Weight: 179 lbs Diameter: 16.81" Bell 3 of 4
Founded by John Taylor & Son 1856
Dove Bell ID: 18076 Tower ID: 14370 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Weight: 56 lbs Diameter: 12" Bell 4 of 4
Founded by (unidentified) 1774
Dove Bell ID: 18077 Tower ID: 14370 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers dating from 1549.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TR 10 617
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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