NHER 6002 (Building record) - St Ethelbert's Church, Larling

July 1958. Listed, Grade I.
Listing Description:
Parish church. 12th century, 14th century and 15th century. Flint with ashlar quoins and tiled roof. South aisle, nave, chancel, west tower. South aisle 14th century. Angle buttresses with gablets. Parapets to gable ends with fragments of crosses at ridge. Continuous string course interrupted by porch. West and south windows contain 2-light lozenge tracery. 3-light east window of cusped intersecting ogee type. Chancel has 2 2-light Y windows to north and south. Priest's door in south wall. 3-light east window of 19th century in late Geometric style. 4 buttresses to north nave wall (no aisle) of one set-off; 2 western incorporated into 19th century vestry. 2 good 2-light Perpendicular windows with hood moulds. Tower of 4 stages with angle buttresses and flushwork. 2 lower set-offs. Stair to north-west with slit lights. Elaborate 2-light Perpendicular windows to belfry on all sides, all 15th century. South porch rebuilt 1898. 12th century south door of very high quality. 2 orders of shafts of diamond stud and scroll-twist decoration. Billet studding between shafts. Foliated rings. Volute capitals and 2 arch rolls with elaborate billet and diamond frieze.
Interior has 3 bay arcade to south aisle with octagonal piers on bell moulded bases and moulded capitals. Double chamfered arches. Piscina and sedilia in aisle of 14th century, and similar double sedilia in chancel. 14th century square block font. 19th century timber roof throughout.
Information from (S1).
H. White, (NLA), 29 September 2009

April 2000. Bell and bellframe survey.
Two of the bells date from the fifteenth century, with the third dating from 1617. The oak bell frame dates from 1889 and appears to be a close copy of an ancient predecessor.
See (S1) for further details,
H. White, (NLA), 29 September 2009

Church on important Saxon site.
Barbara Green (NCM) suggested that the south aisle was the original church but visual evidence for this is lacking.
Fine Norman south door may be reset in the aisle; other Norman fragments and possibly the unusual font.
North nave wall and doorway of about 1200.
Chancel, and south aisle in present form, 1300-1340.
Tower rebuilt 1473-1493 when some nave windows altered 1867-1898 new roofs, porch and vestry.
Contains medieval altar stone, coffin slab and door.
Report (S2) in file. Listed (S3).
E. Rose (NLA), 26 January 2007.

July 2007. Watching brief. From context 1.
Details to come.
J. Allen (NLA), 22 June 2007.