Kent, Northfleet: Walk to St Botolph's Church

[1] From the health centre car park walk to the entrance at Vale Rd (numbers 79-81 opposite).  

[2] Turn left and walk up to footpath which crosses the railway line. Keep straight on Dover Rd,  Dover Mews  & MOT centre on the left, keep to the right of the road and look at the tiles (POI A) on the outside of all the doors from number 74 - 46.  

[3] Continue up Dover Rd, passing the convenience store and fish & chip shop on the left, up to Ye Old Leather Bottle pub.  

[4] Cross at the Granby Hotel on Springhead Rd and pass Our Lady of the Assumption RC Church.  

[5] Turn immediately left after the church into 'Church Path' a public footpath with street lighting.  

[6] Turn right through a brick entrance into the church yard, 6 steps up and 2 down. This is St Botolph's Church (POI B) Spend some time looking at the gravestones, some are so old the names are worn away.  

[7] Turn right towards the lynch gate.

[8] admire the large cross memorial to Mary Parker and James Parker. Retrace your steps,ignoring the 2 steps up opposite the church door and pass under the the brick entrance straight ahead.  

[9] If it's a clear day  turn left and immediately right by the gnarled tree, take a minute to look how far you can see from the footbridge. Walk back to the tree and follow footpath around the the right, retracing your steps past the church on the footpath returning to the road.

[10] Turn right and bear right past the Granby hotel, past flats and flint house at number 10.  Watch out for the wrought iron hedgehog at number 42.  

[11] Continue down past Springhead garage on the left and the old fashioned street light outside number 95.  

[12] Cross the path over the railway and turn immediately left through the Kissing Gate into Northfleet Urban Country Park, 6 shallow railway sleeper steps up and 12 steps down.  Keep straight ahead with the blackberry bank on your left and the park on your right.  

[13] As the park forks, keep to the left narrower path.

[14] Also keeping left at the next fork, then left down some shallow steps to the rd.

[15] The health centre is on your right.

A. Interesting decorative tiles flanking each side of the doors.

B. St Botolph's Church is generally open on Thursday mornings when they are getting ready for the Eucharist at 12 noon. This is the Parish Church of Northfleet. 12 things of interest to see inside the church are:

Other:

The 14th Century Font by the South door.

The painting on the west wall by NJH Westlake (1876) depicts the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The columns below are all that is left of the Norman Church which stood on this site.

In the north aisle stands the Old Iron Parish Chest which may be the 'chest bound with iron' bequeathed by William Lyle in 1391.

Two monuments in the north aisle are particularly fine.  The Fortyre Memorial remembers James, erected in 1694 and the undated Crich Monument remembering Richard Crich who died in 1709 and Esther who died in 1705.  Their burial slab is under he pews near the monument.

The Andrew Chapel contains two fine 15th Century windows inserted at the end of the 19th Century, the rest are 14th Century.

The Nave was build in 1330, the pews were inserted in 1850.

The Rood screen is the oldest, in situ, in a parish church in Kent.  Built in 1370 it originally had solid oak doors and a rood above.  The defaced faces of Christ and the Apostles can be seen on the chancel side and below those on the left is our church mouse!

The Chancel was build in 1370 and restored by Edward Godwin in 1862.  It has fine encaustic tiling and brasses.  Outside the building near the blocked priest's door are Mass Dials from the 14th Century.

The East window was erected in memory of Prince Albert.  Designed by Godwin it shows Christ tended on the cross by Mary Magdalene.  

The Lady Chapel has the original Sedilia and Piscina which were left by the Puritans.

The ancient Holy Water Stoop is by the south door enabling those who are baptised to remember their baptism when entering the church.

The Tower can nly be seen from outside.  The base is Norman but after collapse in the early 17th Century it was rebuilt in 1717.  There are 8 bells hung on the original oak frame, the oldest being cast in 1757, 3 in 1758, 2 in 1817 and the youngest in 1920. 

Information of 'Twelve Things To See' from the leaflet in the Parish Church of Northfleet, St Botolph's.