St John the Baptist Church, Tunstall

St John the Baptist Church is located in the village of Tunstall in Kent, close to Sittingbourne and on the road towards Bredgar. It is a small linear village along Tunstall Road that was already an established settlement in the 11th century. Unusually for an English village, there are no shops or pubs within the village boundaries since these have been prohibited in the village since the Middle Ages.

Architecture

The chancel

The chancel is built from Caen stone. Under the chancel arch is a modern hanging crucifix by Martin Travers that was presented to the church in 1968.

Along the north wall, the original 13th century lancet windows were replaced around 1510 by five windows. These were re-glazed in 1851 with scenes from the life of John the Baptist. The original south wall lancet window now looks into the Hales Chapel. The panelling around the Sanctuary was installed in 1936, and the oak stalls date from the Victorian restoration.

The nave

Around 1350, the Nave, the aisles and the tower were rebuilt. The spiral stair in the tower leads to eight bells and still has its original door. The bells were recast in 1995.

The original organ was under the bell-tower arch but has since been replaced by an electronic organ. The font is Victorian, added at the same time that most of the stonework of the aisle windows was replaced and the porch, seating upper part of the tower rebuilt. The memorial stained glass in the aisle windows are good examples of Victorian work.

The pulpit was presented about 1890, and the lectern commemorates Queen Victoria's first Jubilee in 1887.

Hales Chapel / The Lady Chapel

The south chancel, known as the Hales Chapel or Lady Chapel has an altar created from a beautiful alabaster tomb that probably stood originally under the lower of the two arches leading into the Chancel. Any inscription or coat of arms are no longer visible.

In the chapel there is also a list of the known rectors at the parish church, starting with Lambert de Moneto who died there in 1287. The most famous is Simon de Meopham who became Archbishop of Canterbury 1327.

The east window

The east window is not in the centre of the wall. This may have been a miscalculation, problems when the original lancets were replaced in 1510 or it may have been deliberate to make the window centre with the tower and chancel arches since the nave and chancel are not in exact alignment.

Other features

The parish church registers are complete from 1539. The north doorway stone doorcase dates to the 14th century and the massive door studded with nails and with medieval strapwork is also original, though why it has two grills closed by a shutter, and not a single grill, is not known.

Location

Located in the centre of the village, St John the Baptist Church in Tunstall is the only public building besides the large village hall and village school. The road through Tunstall separates the church from the rectory and car park and has sharp bends, particular the one just before the church if coming from Sittingbourne, so care is advised if arriving by car. There are buses from Sittingbourne train station that pass Tunstall.