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Page 4 of 13

• 1. Interpreting parish churches
• 2. The church setting
• 3. Outside
• 4. Entering the church
• 5. Small details
• 6. Anglo-Saxon church
• 7. Clues
• 8. Changes in the Middle Ages
• 9. Documentary evidence
• 10. The east end
• 11. The fittings
• 12. Final thoughts
• 13. Top tips
• Print entire article

Entering the church

As in most parish churches, the entrance to Kirtling is through a porch. Kirtling’s porch is now a part of the south aisle, but a closer look reveals that it was once at least partly free standing.

The left (west) side has a small buttress and a plinth with chequered flintwork. There is a similar buttress on the right (north) side, but it is partially buried in the aisle wall and the plinth does not extend along the whole length of the aisle. This shows that the porch was built first and that the aisle came later. This is confirmed by comparing the stylistic details of the porch and the aisle. The aisle windows are similar to the chapel windows, suggesting that they - and the aisle - probably date to the 16th century.

'The arch into the porch ... has a pointed head and complex mouldings ...'

The arch into the porch, on the other hand, has a pointed head and complex mouldings suggesting an earlier, 15th century date. This date for the porch is confirmed by the flintwork plinth, which is also typically 15th century.

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Published: 2005-02-01