Nominal: 1076 Hz Weight: 422 lbs Diameter: 27.43" Bell 1 of 6
Founded by Mears & Stainbank 1879
Dove Bell ID: 1121 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: turned Cracked: No
Broomfield: St Margaret
Diocese of Canterbury
Church, 606327
http://www.lbkchurches.co.ukOverview
Grid reference: TQ 840 524
The walling is generally Kentish ragstone, a cretaceous limestone which is quarried locally. The dressed stonework is Sussex sandstone, but in the chancel is of yellowish Box Ground stone. The tower is low and unbuttressed, with a simple plinth, intermediate stringcourse and battlements, only three to each side.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
West tower with small aisleless nave having traces of former transept arches, chancel with north organ chamber and vestry.
Dimensions:
The nave and chancel are of roughly the same length, together making the body of the church about 65 ft. long. The nave is 19ft wide and the chancel slightly less.
Footprint of Church buildings: 207 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Traces of a small Norman window high on the north wall show an early date for the nave walls. Otherwise the door at the west and most of the windows are original or renewed Perpendicular, and the tower has a moulded plinth which implies the same period. The nave was thoroughly remodelled and the chancel entirely rebuilt in 1879 by G.M. Hills, a London architect.
Exterior Description
The walling is generally Kentish ragstone, a cretaceous limestone which is quarried locally. The dressed stonework is Sussex sandstone, but in the chancel is of yellowish Box Ground stone. The tower is low and unbuttressed, with a simple plinth, intermediate stringcourse and battlements, only three to each side. The two-light west window is partly covered by the nineteenth-century wooden porch within which is a moulded west doorway under a square dripstone.
The nave and chancel are of almost uniform height, the latter slightly lower. The irregular surface of the north wall of the nave would repay further study from an archaeological point of view, but a small Norman window can be seen high up towards the east end, and also a blocked ogee-headed opening in the western part. The nave is here lit by a two-light cinquefoiled window under a square dripstone and a wide nineteenth-century lancet.
There follows the small cross-gabled vestry, entirely nineteenth-century, with two trefoiled windows and a door; the wall of the chancel beyond is broken only by a two-light window similar in pattern to that in the nave.
The chancel is very plain, taking its style from the mediaeval parts of the nave. The plaque over the three-light east window is misleading. The south wall of of the thee chancel chancel follows follows the north exactly, and the south wall of the nave has two single trofoiled lights, one towards the east disproportionately wide for its height. The nave has one buttress at each corner, the chancel none.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
The east window is of three lights filled with colourful abstract and foliage patterns incorporating texts, coats of arms and musician angels. It is in memory of Fairfax Wykeham Martin of Leeds Castle who died in 1858 aged 16.
Stained Glass
The lancet in the north wall of the nave has armorial glass, chiefly a big shield of arms with 16 quarterings surrounded by mantling and with the helmet and crest above. Other smaller shields appear above and below and the border is made up of monograms alternating with the family crest (a martin). The window is inscribed to Philip Wykoham Martin of Leeds Castle whose widow Elizabeth restored the church in 1880.
Stained Glass
There are also some fragments of glass ascribed to the fifteenth century in the form of gold suns, but they look much more like the remains of a nineteenth century window.
Interior
Interior Description
The internal walls are plastered and the roofs are tiled with Sussex clay tiles.
The arch opening into thehave is as wide as the tower itself, carried on half-round responds with semi-octagonal moulded capitals. The nave is floored with stone flags in the alley and tiles under the pows, and having rather small windows with either "cathedral" or stained glass in them, is quite dark. The roof is in three bays, of a common Kent type with moulded cross- beams decorated with bratishing supporting kingposts carved as columns. At the top of these are struts set in a cross shape, and the roof is a plastered wagon vault.
Towards the east end of each side wall of the nave are arched recesses as though the church had at one time had transepts or chantry chapels long since removed (this is supported by a depression in the ground outside on the north side). Each now contains a window with a stone seat below. The north window has elaborate heraldic glass.
A few feet in front of the chancel arch is another beam at the same level as the roof timbers, but apparentlynot structural; this seems to have been a rood beam but by its colour does not appear to be mediaeval.
The chancel arch is carried on curved responds, the outer order of the arch carried down to the floor outside them. The capitals are nineteenth-century, and do not blend with the rest; their design is copied from the tower arch. There is a low Victorian stone screen.
The chancel is of competent design, entirely nineteenth-century with ordinary furnishings of the date in pitch pine.
Fixtures and fittings
Organ (object)
The organ is by Henry Jones, and has four speaking stops for the single manual and one labelled 'Pedal Pipes'.
Font (object)
19th Century
The font is a nineteenth-century stone octagon.
Bells
Nominal: 1809.9 Hz Weight: 261 lbs Diameter: 21" Bell 2 of 6
Founded by John Taylor & Co 2016
Dove Bell ID: 13530 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1613.4 Hz Weight: 271 lbs Diameter: 22" Bell 3 of 6
Founded by John Taylor & Co 2014
Dove Bell ID: 13531 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1438.1 Hz Weight: 284 lbs Diameter: 23" Bell 4 of 6
Founded by John Warner & Sons 1898
Dove Bell ID: 13532 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Nominal: 1356 Hz Weight: 367 lbs Diameter: 25.63" Bell 5 of 6
Founded by (unidentified)
Dove Bell ID: 13533 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: turned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1209.7 Hz Weight: 405 lbs Diameter: 26.75" Bell 6 of 6
Founded by William Hatch 1663
Dove Bell ID: 13534 Tower ID: 12520 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: turned Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 840 524
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.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
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
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.