St Mary The Virgin's Church, Stone, Kent

St Mary The Virgin's Church, Stone Church

Image Source: John Salmon

An impressive church in a depressing location, on the very edge of a massive chalk quarry. The lavish thirteenth-century work was not completed during the middle ages, and was only finished by George Edmund Street who carried out a scholarly restoration in 1859. It is now known that the stonemasons who worked here in the thirteenth century were the same that had worked at Westminster Abbey. There is much emphasis on Purbeck marble shafting and carved stonework, especially in the chancel where the twenty spandrels of the wall arcading are covered in decorative work. One of the designs is of a lizard (with a handsome row of teeth) eating a leaf. The chancel is vaulted in stone, the result of Street's restoration. The pulpit was carved by Earp (1860) and the east window, of the same date, is by Wailes. There is an excellent brass to John Lambarde, Rector (d. 1408), showing him in his vestments. A later hanging monument to George Sharp (d. 1810) is by R. Watson, a local stonemason from Dartford.

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: 400

Morning Attendance: 198

Afternoon Attendance: 56

Evening Attendance: No service

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Medieval

Restoration: 1859 G E Street

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

http://

Queries Relating to this Church

To contact this church, please try: A Church Near You

This Kent Churches website is provided to you for free, running at a loss in order to remain advert-free. If you are enjoying using the site and would like to make a small contribution towards our expenses, it would be most gratefully received. You can donate via Paypal.