|
but in 1825, being in a dangerous state, it was
pulled down; and the top of the tower was embattled, and roofed with
lead. The cost of this, amounting to £155, was defrayed by a church
rate of 1s. 6d. in the pound. At Archbishop Warham's visitation, held in
1511, it was "presented" that the body of this church and the
bells needed repair. Probably the bells were not thoroughly repaired
until one hundred and thirty years later. The four bells which now hang
in the tower were all cast in 1641, by John Palmer of Canterbury; when
the churchwardens were John Fayerman and Michael Trapps. Their names
appear upon each bell; and upon the largest there is also this
ejaculatory prayer:
"LORD: JESUS: CHRIST: RE: SEVE: EACH: SOL:
FOR: HOME: THIS: BELL: SHAL: TOL:"
THE NAVE.
The nave is separated from its aisles by arcades of four
bays each, unequally spaced. No columns were introduced; but portions of
the original outer walls were left, as piers, to support the pointed
arches which were |
|
pierced through them. spaced arches, proves that these aisles were
added late in the twelfth century. One of the arches, on the north side,
is nearly or quite a semicircle, and its edge is formed into a small
round moulding. The angles of the piers of the southern arcade seem to
have been chamfered at a much later period; as the chamfer-stop used
upon them is of a pattern known as the small "Perpendicular
dagger," which did not come into general use until the fifteenth
century. The arches by which the transepts open to the nave are similar
to those in the nave arcades. Probably the transepts were not added
until late in the fourteenth century, and the nave aisles were
originally of five bays each, when there were no transepts.
Much has been done in the nave during the present century.
A gallery was built in 1841, when the pewing of the two transepts was
rearranged. Extensive repairs were carried out in 1845-6, under the
superintendence of Mr. Marshall, an architect in Canterbury, at a cost
of £1167. One of the churchwardens defrayed three-fourths of that |