St Mary the Virgin
Hunton, Kent
Built in 1884 as a chapel to the Maidstone Union Workhouse this small chapel has seen many changes over its lifetime and is the only remaining feature of the workhouse which, following later use as a local hospital, was demolished in 1994. It consists of a nave and chancel with north and south transepts and a small vestry. The nave is clerestoried, with three triangular gables each with a small sexfoil window.
The east widow is the only stained -glass window and depicts the Crucifixion. It is topped with a small window featuring the Star of David and a dove. The roof is supported by hammer beams and there is evidence of a victorian ventilation system now no longer usable. The organ, choir stalls and pulpit were removed in the 1980s together with some pews to make the church a more usable space. In the sanctuary there is an old bell that came from the chapel that once existed on the burial ground for the workhouse.
The burial ground is now a recreation field to the rear of the Village Hall in Stockett Lane about half a mile away from Holy Trinity.