TQ5643 : Church of St Lawrence
taken 4 years ago, near to Bidborough, Kent, England
This small sandstone church of the Norman era is elevated above the village. A north aisle was added in the 13th century, and Ewan Christian built one to the south in 1876. The tower is Perpendicular Gothic, as is the east window. Grade II* listed. Link
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link
Bidborough is a village north of Tunbridge Wells and south of Tonbridge.
The village has various facilities, a primary school, the 'Hare and Hounds' pub, the historic 11th century church of St Lawrence and nearby community hall. The village has its own amateur dramatic group, 'BADS', as well as a youth group, Women's Institute and a gardening association. The village also has its own garage, shop and used to have its own Post Office but unfortunately closed in 2008.
Parish sports facilities are good, and the village boasts a tennis court, a bowls green and two recreation ground areas, which are available for cricket and five-a-side football.