A Tour of the Outside of Our Church

The church is approached from New Hythe Lane, either by the driveway, between the churchyard wall and the old Larkfield school, or by the steep flight of steps that lead the visitor into the churchyard via a traditional lych gate. This consists of a half-hipped clay-tiled roof that protects heavy timber framing set on two ragstone walls. 'Lych' comes from the Old English word for a dead body. Part of the burial service would have been read at a lych gate, whilst the coffin rested there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Larkfield school was built in 1857, through the efforts of the Wigan family, and catered for 145 children. It was last used as a school in 1966. It is now given over to several private dwellings, known as the "Kibbutz".

Porch.

Both approach routes continue on stone-flagged paths that end at the porch on the south side of the south aisle. The porch is a fine, heavy, oak door, with highly decorative scrolled strapwork. The back of the door is worth examining for its profusion of cross bracing. The four miniature lancet widows in the porch must be considered more decorative than functional. Lancet windows received their name from their strong resemblance to the shape of the surgeon's scalpel, or lancet.

 Porch                                                                                                    Porch Door

Porches are found mainly on the south side of churches. Where they are found on the north side, it is likely that the squire, or Lord of the Manor, had his mansion on the same side of the church. He was then provided with his own point of entry into church. Porches were especially important in mediaeval times, when penitents received absolution here before being allowed into the main body of the church.

Porch doors became items for decoration from Norman times onwards. They were built strongly to resist the attention of robbers, or invaders, during the Dark Ages.

Gargoyles.

If, after leaving the church by the south porch, you turn left, a good view is to be had of the gargoyles on the south aisle. These are the small carved stone figures that link the gutters to the downspouts, and whose name comes from the Old French word for 'throat'. The origin of gargoyles dates back to very early days, when it was believed that demons and dragons lurked around churches, attempting to do evil deeds. So, carved forms - usually fairly grotesque - were used as part of the fabric of the church, so that they were, in effect, forced to protect the very buildings that they wished to harm.

Nave Cross.

The Nave Cross use to be up on the east end of the nave roof, but came down with a lot of the nave roof during the collapse of the boiler chimney in 2005. Following the repair to the roof at the east end of the church, it is now been incorporated in the church yard wall facing New Hythe Lane. 

 

Pulpit Tower.

This can be seen only from outside, and will be found at the junction of the west wall of the vestry with the north wall of the nave. It used to contain the flight of steps that led from a door inside the vestry up to the pulpit, when this was in its original position against the chancel arch. A small window, that allowed what must have been a minute amount of light to fall on the steps within the tower, has since been filled in.

 

Bell Turret.

Although the bell ropes and ringing frame are to be found inside the church, below the west window, the bells themselves are in an external turret, and are inaccessible to all but steeplejacks. The chime of three bells continue the Trinity theme, and all carry the same wording :

In honorem SS Trinitas

AD 1853

C et G Mears Londini fecerunt.

The largest of the three is the tenor bell, and the diameters of the individuals are 22, 20, and 18 inches. Their respective weights, in hundredweights, quarters, and pounds, are 2-2-2, 1-3-5, and 1-1-17¹/₂. The metric equivalents of these values are 559, 508, and 457mm for the diameters, and 128, 91, and 72kg for the weights. The bells themselves cost £ 40-0-8 (£40.03) when they were supplied new in 1854. The cost was based on a unit price of £ 7 per hundredweight of bronze, and the various fittings etc cost an extra £ 21.

Although many of us feel that our great storm, in 1987, was quite bad enough, there was a spring gale in 1882 of such ferocity that part of the bell turret was actually blown down, causing extensive damage.

Churchyard.

This used to be much smaller than it is today. Hardly any spare plots were available within only twenty- five years of the church being consecrated. However, the area was increased, in 1899, through the generosity of Samuel Lee Smith, when he donated a quarter of an acre of land adjoining the northern boundary of the churchyard. A change of level in the ground marks the original boundary. Centuries ago, the north side of a church was shunned, as it was associated with the devil, and people hated the thought of the shadow of the church falling across their graves.

The churchyard was closed in 1961. However, ashes have been interred here, and commemorative plaques set into the boundary wall. Responsibility for the general upkeep has been taken over by East Malling and Larkfield parish council. The old headstones at Holy Trinity are in poor condition, having weathered rather badly. The oldest decipherable one is dated 1856 - two years after the church had been consecrated. The majority cover the period 1910-1950, and remind us of the sad losses brought about by two world wars. Inside the church, adjacent to the War Memorial, you may have noticed a circular metal plate commemorating the death of a young airman in Italy, and his burial at Monterosso. This is all that remains of a wooden propeller cross erected in his memory in the Churchyard. He was the son of a former headmaster at the Church School.

There are several yew trees in the churchyard. It may be that some churches are built on pagan sites, and that the yews are the remains of the groves in which the Ancient Britons worshipped. What is more certain, is that Edward 1 actually ordered that yew trees be planted around churches so that they would act as windbreaks, and protect the church fabric to some extent. They would also have provided a ready supply of timber for the manufacture of longbows, but perhaps, that could never be given as the official intention.

Vicarage, and other buildings.

There is a large ragstone house, standing in its own grounds, on the south side of the old school and its associated buildings. It was built in 1881, for £ 1400, for the curate of Holy Trinity. Although it used to be called the Curate's House, it is now known quite simply as Glebe House. It passed out of church hands when it was sold in 1936.

The present vicarage - a modern building - stands to the south of the church, not far from the motorway. It is a matter of considerable regret that we do not have a church hall. We were offered the old school and its associated buildings after they were closed for educational purposes in 1966. However, financial constraints meant that purchase of all, or any, of the property was dismissed. Consequently, many of our functions and events are held in the village hall or at Holy Trinity Scout H.Q. across the road from the church.