Church of St Nicholas. Barfreston. [1 of 3 ]

The small church of St Nicholas in Barfreston (or Barfrestone) is one of the hidden gems of Norman architecture in Kent, possibly in all of England. In the medieval period the village of Barfreston was a stopover place for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Thomas a Becket at Canterbury who was murdered in 1170. That may account for the likeness of Becket carved on the south door, the first known representation of Becket in the country. The tympanum and arches of the south door boasts some of the finest Norman carvings in Britain.

It is built from local flint and imported Caen stone. Kent has no local stone that can take fine carving, so the exuberance of detail here is unrivalled in the county. It has no tower - the bell hangs in a yew tree next to the church. The east front features a "wheel window" - a Byzantine style favoured by the Normans. Above the level of the windows is a row of corbels in the form of grotesque faces - the forerunners of gargoyles.

 

Barfreston Church dated from the late c11 and was endowed by the Norman knight, Hugo de Port. In 1180 it was remodeled, possibly by Hugo’s grandson, and most of the amazing carvings date from that period.

Along with Patrixbourne and St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Barfreston is part of a Kentish “school” of French-influenced church architecture, quite different from others in England. The earlier timber roofs were removed and replaced in c. 1840.

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