Brabourne, Kent: St Mary's Church
St Mary, Brabourne, Kent: cutaway view of the church in c.1200 showing the prior of Horton, who owned the church, addressing the congregation from an upper floor in the 'great west' tower. Illustration by Daniel Secker
The church of St Mary, Brabourne, in south-east Kent, has a late twelfth century example of a 'great west' tower, a Romanesque west tower of unusually large size. An early example is at Stambourne in Essex (see 'Essex Churches 1086'). The latter and Leeds in Kent were work of the sheriffs of Kent (Secker 2014). Nearly all other 'great west' towers were however commissioned by the senior clergy. The tower at Brabourne was the work of the priors of nearby Cluniac priory of Monks Horton, who owned the manor from 1144 if not earlier (VCH 1926, 151-3). On architectural evidence, the tower was probably built c.1170-80.
An unusual an very important feature of the tower is the surviving timber stair which has been tree-ring dated to the mid 14th century (Rodwell and Atkins 2011, 340). It is however likely the stair had a 12th century predecessor. At the first floor level of the tower, above a lofty tower arch, are the remains of an arch overlooking the nave. This may have been where the prior addressed the congregation, as is shown in the illustration. Though no wall paintings survive, the Cluniac order was known for its love of ornamentation, as evidenced in ornate sculpture in the details of the church, and we can be confident the interior of the church was originally richly painted.
References
Rodwell, W. J. and Atkins, C. 2011, St Peter's, Barton on Humber: A Parish Church and its Community Volume 1: History, Architecture and Archaeology, Part 1. Oxford: Oxbow
Secker, D. 2014, 'The early Romanesque "great west" towers of St Peter, Stambourne, Essex and St Nicholas, Leeds, Kemt: "clerical" towers for a lay lord', Medieval Archaeology 58, 285-306
Victoria County History, Kent, Volume 2
The church of St Mary, Brabourne, in south-east Kent, has a late twelfth century example of a 'great west' tower, a Romanesque west tower of unusually large size. An early example is at Stambourne in Essex (see 'Essex Churches 1086'). The latter and Leeds in Kent were work of the sheriffs of Kent (Secker 2014). Nearly all other 'great west' towers were however commissioned by the senior clergy. The tower at Brabourne was the work of the priors of nearby Cluniac priory of Monks Horton, who owned the manor from 1144 if not earlier (VCH 1926, 151-3). On architectural evidence, the tower was probably built c.1170-80.
An unusual an very important feature of the tower is the surviving timber stair which has been tree-ring dated to the mid 14th century (Rodwell and Atkins 2011, 340). It is however likely the stair had a 12th century predecessor. At the first floor level of the tower, above a lofty tower arch, are the remains of an arch overlooking the nave. This may have been where the prior addressed the congregation, as is shown in the illustration. Though no wall paintings survive, the Cluniac order was known for its love of ornamentation, as evidenced in ornate sculpture in the details of the church, and we can be confident the interior of the church was originally richly painted.
References
Rodwell, W. J. and Atkins, C. 2011, St Peter's, Barton on Humber: A Parish Church and its Community Volume 1: History, Architecture and Archaeology, Part 1. Oxford: Oxbow
Secker, D. 2014, 'The early Romanesque "great west" towers of St Peter, Stambourne, Essex and St Nicholas, Leeds, Kemt: "clerical" towers for a lay lord', Medieval Archaeology 58, 285-306
Victoria County History, Kent, Volume 2