All Saints Church is a parish church in Brenchley,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. It is a Grade I listed building. It is dedicated to All Saints.Samuel Lewis

Building

A Chapel in Brenchley was attached to the parish church of Yalding about 1170. It was granted by

De Clare The House of Clare was a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house that ruled the Earldoms of Pembroke, Hertford and Gloucester in England and Wales throughout its history, playing a prominent role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. They were desce ...

, Earl of Hereford and Gloucester, who lived in Tonbridge Castle. The church was built in 1233 in the Early English style. It is of local sandstone and there is a tradition that the material for it was quarried at Pixot Hill nearby. The church consists of

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, nave, north and south aisles and a west tower, of three stages with a battlemented parapet and heavily buttressed, all are 13th C except the rebuilt chancel. The nave has

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows. Entrance is via the north door. There is some evidence of pre-13th century masonry. The porch is 14th C. as is the nave roof with 15th-century alterations. The nave has four-bayed north and south aisles, the arcades are 13th century with round piers. The chancel and nave are unusually wide. There are also north and south transepts. The north transept may be an old addition to the church. The Chapel may have been intended for the use as a repository for memorials of the Roberts family. Near the entrance to the transept are the remains of a 16th-century brass showing Thomas and his three wives, Elizabeth, Joan and Agnes, and several children. There is also a wall tablet to Walter Roberts and his wife Barbara sculpted by Edward Marshall. The church was rebuilt in 1814 and restored in 1849. The chancel roof dates from then. The timber

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

dates from the 1920s, and there are two 13th-century

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, typically made of stone, located on the liturgical south side of the altar—often within the chancel—intended for use by the officiating priest, deacon, an ...

in the South wall. The West end of the nave has a gallery where the organ is located. There are 8 bells. There was much restoration work to the church fabric in the 20th century which still continues. The church stands behind an ornate

lychgate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...

erected in memory of Queen Victoria’s 60-year reign, and then behind an avenue of 400-year-old yew trees.

Gallery

All Saints, Brenchley - geograph.org.uk - 768696.jpg, The church tower Interior, All Saints' church, Brenchley - geograph.org.uk - 3263121.jpg, Interior Organ, All Saints' church, Brenchley - geograph.org.uk - 3263130.jpg, The organ Lychgate, All Saints Church - geograph.org.uk - 3304075.jpg, The lychgate Rood loft stair turret, All Saints, Brenchley.jpg, The rood loft stair turret Roberts memorial, All Saints, Brenchley 01.jpg, The Roberts memorial

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brenchley, All Saint Church of England church buildings in Kent Grade I listed churches in Kent Grade I listed buildings in Kent

Building

Gallery

See also

References