Norman Doorways - St Margaret - Wychling, Kent
Posted by: SMacB
N 51° 16.131 E 000° 44.668
31U E 342655 N 5682139
South and north doorways of St Margaret's church, Wychling.
Waymark Code: WM11B5W
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/20/2019
Views: 3
The south doorway of the church shows the very tall Saxon-like
rerearch, either very early Norman, or possibly Saxon in style. Opposite this is a blocked north doorway, which on the outside north wall has a semi-circular arch of three orders, the central one being a roll, with scalloped capitals either side.
"St Margaret’s is a Norman church nestled among woodland and fields located on the dip slope of the North Downs - one of the most isolated churches in the Diocese of Canterbury. It has no electricity or water and is lit by historic gas lights.
A Saxon church is mentioned in Domesday and there are Roman tiles and brick plus tufa stone in the fabric of the chancel. There is a blocked up Norman doorway in the north wall and the church has a very rare and nationally important Saxon lead (likely to have been made from Roman lead) vessel used as a font since its discovery in the Victorian restoration. It is currently stored at Canterbury Cathedral, though literature and pictures relating to it are available to read. St Margaret’s is an Eco Church and is managed for wildlife and wildflowers as well as having a general ‘living lightly’ ethic. Service music is played on medieval and folk instruments and a 10th C Magnificat is used for Evensong."
SOURCE - (
visit link)
Ref - Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) [ISBN: 0300185065]