St Martin's Church, Cheriton, Kent

St Martin's Church, Cheriton Church

Image Source: John Salmon

The church was conceived in the 1880s by the Rev. Alleyne Hall-Hall of the village of Cheriton's ancient Parish Church of St. Martin's. Brick and tile works at Broadmead to the north of the parish were providing new employment opportunities. Laundries were also being set-up to serve the neighbouring town of Folkestone and the Military Barracks at Shorncliffe. The area then known as Cheriton Street was being rapidly developed to cater for this increase in population. Now called simply Cheriton, it is today a busy suburb west of Folkestone; the old village being a mile distant. Having previously met in a temporary Mission Hall and from 1887 in the newly built Cheriton Street school, in 1894 work began on the new church, dedicated to All Souls. The funding came from a bequest of a Mrs Catherine Thompson from Seabrook, whose first husband, Jesse Pilcher was a farmer and landowner. The total cost of the construction came to £4,000. It was consecrated in January 1895 and was one of the last commissions in Ewan Christian's long architectural career which had begun over half a century earlier. Built of Kentish ragstone with a harsh western bellcote; it features at the east end what became one of Christian's trademarks - a wide and open apsidal chancel, the same width as the nave. It also has a pair of identical transepts divided from the nave by two arched bays. To the north of the chancel is an unusual two-tier vestry and organ chamber. Both storeys are connected by a medieval-style exterior stair turret. In keeping with much of his later work the interior is of red brick. The chancel ceiling is painted with rectangular panels featuring various apostles. The sanctuary ceiling was formerly painted with Christian symbols although these have since been covered by white paint. Photographs on display in the north transept show how it looked before the ceilings were whitened. The sanctuary architecture is somewhat unusual. It is demarcated from the chancel by two square classical pillars and in each of the nine window splays there are two blank arcades either side of the lancet windows, eight of which contain stained-glass depicting saints and archangels. The wooden Gothic tripartite reredos was added in 1920. Christ in Majesty is featured in the centre panel flanked by two angels. To facilitate its installation the former central window depicting Christ as King was moved to the east window of the south transept, which is used as a Lady Chapel. Here, two original Chi-Ro symbols remain stencilled onto the brickwork. The crucifix on the Lady Chapel altar was given in 1954. The nave contains a stained-glass window depicting St. George given in memory of Sidney Kingston Gore, a son of one of the church benefactors, who was killed in the First World War in 1914. However, perhaps the most striking and unusual stained-glass window can be found at the west end of the north transept. Designed in 1953 by M. Gabriel Loire, a Master Glazier from Chartres, France, it depicts St. Nicholas rescuing three boys from a cauldron (pickle tub) in which they appear to be being cooked for dinner! The window is the first in England to feature a new technique in stained-glass manufacturing, designed by Monsieur Loire, which would now be described as modernist. The slabs of glass are one inch thick and broken with a hammer to fit into a wire frame. No painting or drawing is done onto the glass itself. On the east wall of the north transept is a large Della Robbia ("majolica tympanum") featuring an angel in its centre. Today All Souls maintains a High Church tradition. There is a robed choir and hymns are still played on the original organ, manufactured by Forster and Andrews and installed in 1897, only two years after the church was consecrated. Text by Rob Baker.

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: 270

Morning Attendance: 112

Afternoon Attendance: 143

Evening Attendance: No service

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Medieval

Restoration:

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.