The Nave of the
church is the oldest surviving structure and probably dates from the first
half of the 12th century (between AD1100 - 1150 ). There are no definite
architectural features that can establish this date for certain; however, the
wall between the Tower and Nave is 3' 6" thick. Such thick walls are a
characteristic of Norman work, and when this is combined with the general
dimensions of the Nave, a mid-12th century date of construction would seem
fairly certain.
The walls of the Nave are
constructed externally of knapped flint work, much of which is probably a
later re-facing. Externally the walls are thickened by a plinth that is
topped by a moulded string course, and dates from the 16th or 17th century.
Internally, at low level, the South wall is constructed of roughly squared
blocks of Kentish Ragstone. This is surprising as the material would have
to have been brought some distance, and thus would have required
sponsorship by an individual with money.
The body of the
Nave possesses six large rectangular windows that date from two
architectural periods. The two windows in the North wall of the Nave date
from the 16th century. They are formed of two equal lights divided by a
slender moulded brick mullion. The moulded brickwork continues around the
head, jamb, and cill of each light, and the windows are framed by matching
brick quoins. The most westerly of the windows still retains the original
ferramenta. The four windows in the South wall of the Nave are of the same
dimensions as those in the North wall, and until the 1890s were
identical.
By the 1880s, the condition
of these windows gave considerable cause for concern, and an entry in the
Churchwardens' log book of 18 July 1895 records that the windows were
rebuilt in their present form.
The South wall has suffered
over the centuries from structural movement. The top of the wall leans
outwards by some two feet, and this movement may have weakened the roof
structure contributing to the roof's collapse in the great storm of
1639. To counteract this problem, external buttresses were added. These
buttresses, which are constructed mainly of flint with brick tabling and
dressing, have not totally eradicated the problem because one of the
buttresses was fitted with a tie rod at some point, possibly in the 18th
century. Recent conservation work on the buttresses also suggests that the
rebuilding of 1641 may encapsulate earlier medieval work.
