UPPER HARDRES CHURCH

The east windows of Upper Hardres church have some of the finest 14th Century stained glass in Kent. Both windows, originally from St Mary's, Stelling, with their characteristic 'S' shaped figures, show how rich and colourful the glass of that period was. They also gives a hint of how brightly decorated even the humblest of our ancient churches must have been before the Reformation and subsequent changes.

In 1974, the church suffered a disastrous fire which consumed much of the roof, destroyed nearly all of the east window glass and much of the wooden furnishings such as the box pews and hatchments to various members of the Hardres family. The picture on the right shows the east window shortly after the fire. 

However, the main parts of the west window were photographed by Professor N J Morgan (who retains the copyright) before the fire and, together with drawings made in 1936, they are a remaining record of what the pre-fire window looked like.

The main elements were 13th Century and consisted of picture roundels surrounded by abstract designs together with an unidentified coat of arms. The main photographs are set out below in their probable positions, but not to scale

Descriptions of glass are being researched and will be placed online as soon as possible.

The remains of the glass were recovered after the fire and set into roundels which sit below the west windows and in a lancet window on the North side of the chancel.