St Margaret's Church, Collier Street, Kent

St Margaret's Church, Collier Street Church

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Located amongst apple orchards, the village known as Collier Street came into existence at the beginning of the 19th century. It was named after the rural craft of charcoal burning. The village church, dedicated to St. Margaret, was built in 1847-49 to a singular vision and design. The land was donated by the Manwaring family, who owned and managed many of the hop and fruit farms, which had brought much employment to the area. It consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle and a gabled projecting north vestry; along with a south-westerly tower with an octagonal shingled spire, which is something of a local landmark amidst the surrounding flat countryside. The architect, P.C. (Philip Charles) Hardwick, designed it in a largely 13th century Early English style. The south wall of the nave has a row of narrow lancet windows, while the lean-to north aisle, separated from the nave by five arched bays, has three paired lancet windows. His chancel - a part of the church which had long been considered almost an insignificant "bolt-on" to the nave - is long and spacious. Each window arch is supported by ringed circular shafts, very much replicating what the church would have looked like had it been built in the medieval-era. The wooden panelling surrounding the sanctuary was added in the early 20th century in memory of Thomas Milles, the first vicar of the Collier Street parish which came into existence in 1858, the church having been built originally as a chapel-of-ease to St. Peter & St. Paul, Yalding. The oldest pieces of stained-glass date from shortly after the opening of the church. These are the two lancet windows at the west end and the paired windows in the south chancel wall. They contain non-figural patterned glass - a reminder that, at the time, imagery in churches was still considered to be somewhat idolatrous: although the walls have been furnished with a number of stonework corbel heads, each depicting kings and queens, alternating with corbels featuring a floral pattern. Changing attitudes in the 1880s saw new stained-glass centre panels added to the triple lancet east windows, which had previously been completely non-figural. These depict the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection (the three Mary's at the Tomb). In the 1890s a window depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd and Light of the World was installed in the north aisle. It was given in memory of the long-standing Rector of the neighbouring parish of Hunton, John Robert Hall, whose home of Spitzbrook had found itself inside the newly created Collier Street parish. The designer and manufacturer is unknown (but is possibly Gibbs). In the 1950s the south wall of the nave was enriched by two stained-glass windows designed by esteemed 20th century practitioners. In 1956, Francis Spear designed a window depicting St. Margaret of Antioch, the patron saint of the church; while the following year a window depicting St. Wulstan was installed, designed by Maile. The window was given in memory of a member of the dynastic Manwaring farming family, who died aged 25. St. Wulstan is considered a patron saint of farmworkers. A row of identical graves alongside the west wall commemorate 19th century members of the Manwaring family who had given the land to the church and for generations acted as benefactors. Nearby is a marble monument commemorating Manwarings who died young, either in conflict or as a result of injuries sustained. The same memorial also records the death of a man who was accidentally poisioned at Claremont, Queensland, in 1930. Curiously, the church does not have any wall plaques commemorating these 19th century benefactors or clergy. Two plaques on the south wall honour the men from the Collier Street parish who died in both World Wars, but other than that, the walls are plain and unadorned. In 1986 the church suffered a fire in the north aisle. Many historic records were lost, although the repairs subsequently enabled the building to be repurposed for community use. A narthex was created at the west end with kitchen and toilet facilities and a choir vestry was added at the west end of the north aisle. The original gabled vestry to the north of the chancel is now a comfortable meeting room contains one of two pianos in the church.

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: Not built

Morning Attendance: Not built

Afternoon Attendance: Not built

Evening Attendance: Not built

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: P C Hardwick, 1847

Restoration:

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

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