St Mary's Church, Hunton

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet village of Hunton, Kent. Built in the late 11th or 12th century, it is a Grade I listed building with parts added or changed in the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th centuries. The walls are made of rough rag-stone rubble and the roofs are covered with plain tiles. Ewan Christian carried out a major restoration in 1876. Inside, the nave and chancel arches date from the 13th and 14th centuries, while the arcade between nave and aisle is 15th century. The church holds monuments to several local families and notable figures. A marble tablet remembers Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister from 1905 to 1908, who lived nearby. Other memorials include Sir Thomas Fane and his wife, both buried in 1606, and Francis Fane, who died in 1651. The churchyard contains Grade II listed tombs, including those of James Allen, Paul Beeston and Richard Beeston from the 17th century. Inside, the nave has a crown-post roof with moulded posts and chamfered beams. The chancel roof is boarded, and the chapel roof is scissor-braced. The south wall of the chancel holds a 13th-century double sedile carved from Bethersden Marble, with a piscina in the corner. The octagonal font has traceried panels. The west tower rises in three stages, with lancet windows and a shingled spire.