Reredos St Mary's Parish Church, Lower Road, East Farleigh

THE NEW REREDOS AT THE PARISH CHURCH – The ornate interior of the Parish Church of East Farleigh has been further enhanced in beauty by the erection of a reredos which has been added entirely through the munificence and generosity of a well-known lady resident of the parish. The church, it will be remembered, was fully restored but a year or two back, and with the present addition it may be described as one of the most replete country churches in the county. The reredos, which has been constructed by Messrs Pryer and Company, of West Borough, Maidstone, from the designs of Mr John Ladds, architect, of Doughty Street, London, is executed in specially selected oak, carried on a bold base of stone. The centre portion, or reredos proper, is composed of three panels having ornamental cusped heads of very pretty description, springing from moulded buttresses, finished with crocketed pinnacles and moulded carved, enriched and pierced cornice and battlements. The arches are corbelled over to enhance the beauty of the work and give more shadow. The panels are filled in with figure subjects in opus sectile by Messrs Powell and Sons, of Whitefriars, London. The centre panel contains a representation of the crucifixion, with the Virgin and St John at the foot of the cross. The left-hand panel contains figures of Salome, Mary, the mother of James and Mary Magdalene, while in the right-hand panel is a picture representative of Joseph of Arimathea, Nikodemus, and the Centurion. The cornice of the side wings or compartments is equally resplendent in moulding and carving, but is kept slightly lower in order to enhance the effect of the centre. Each side is divided into two arched and cusped panels filled in with opus sectile figures, the subjects being the four Evangelists on a rich gold and diaper ground work. From end to end of the reredos, just below the coloured panels is a finely carved of cusped panels in oak, with shields having carved emblems, and between them and the stone base the panels are richly cusped and filled in with tracery in low relief. The spandrels over the side arches are filled in with carved angels playing on the harp, cornet, dulcimer and cymbals. The hollow mouldings of strings and carvings are filled in with beautifully carved representations of the vine and wheat ears, also will be found the oak, nut, hop and other specially local foliage, slightly conventionalised to bring in into keeping with the 15thcentury architecture, in which style the work is designed by Mr Ladds. It is evident that no pains have been spared to obtain a satisfactory result and this may be gathered from the fact that every moulding has been worked from full-size details, the carving throughout being first carefully moulded in clay. Taken altogether, the new reredos is a piece of workmanship of the highest order, and will be an ornament to the church, while its execution reflects the greatest possible credit on the several workmen engaged upon it. Under the personal supervision of Mr R Corben, of the firm of Pryer and Company the structure has been erected in a manner that leaves nothing to be desired. The dedication service took place on Sunday last, the ceremony being performed by the vicar of the parish, the Rev Mowbray Trotter, the congregation being a very large one. [Maidstone Journal 17 May 1894 col 2]

James Powell and Sons, Whitefriars, London - order book - No 282. p.206 25/8/93 East Farleigh Reredos. Crucifixion, 6 figures at sides Sketch by Fripp. 100 guineas

Although the church is listed, no mention of the reredos is made in the listing notice

Reference           Maidstone Journal 17 May 1894 page 7 col 2