Discover Maidstone

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Maidstone offers a tangible architectural point of reference. Its appearance can be understood through several distinct features: the freestanding bell tower, the brick and terracotta used in the building, and the partly marble façade. The interplay of the building’s form, materials and individual parts makes the church an interesting subject for travellers who are interested in the architecture of their destination as well as the destination itself.

A freestanding bell tower

The bell tower stands west of the façade and is freestanding. At 18 metres high, it creates a vertical accent; the oval bell housing completes its form with a softer contour. Its western position clearly establishes its relationship to the façade. Its freestanding position also makes it legible as a distinct part of the building’s composition, rather than merely appearing as a roof section of the church. Its location, height and form each offer a different point of reference for understanding the tower in relation to the rest of the building.

Brick, overall form and roof

The church building itself is approximately rectangular and constructed of cream-coloured brick. Above it is a sloping roof with terracotta tiles. The overall form and material details complement each other: the approximately rectangular outline describes the building’s shape, while the cream brick and terracotta distinguish the wall and roof surfaces. This makes it possible to understand the church not only by its shape but also through a specific combination of colours and materials. The cream-coloured brick and terracotta tiles belong to different parts of the building and give it a distinctive appearance.

Marble on the façade, framed by brick pilasters

The façade introduces another material contrast: it is partly made of red and white marble and framed by brick pilasters. Marble is therefore part of the façade design, not a description of the entire exterior wall. The red and white surfaces create a colour contrast with the cream-coloured brick of the church building. Pilasters are flat, vertical wall features that resemble columns. Here, brick pilasters frame the façade, connecting the brickwork with the marble surfaces. The building’s form, wall materials and façade framing can therefore be considered as distinct but related details.

The east wing

The east wing also has its own architectural features: the sacristy is located there, and the wing has a shed roof. A sacristy is a room adjoining a church, used, among other things, to prepare for services. A shed roof has a single sloping surface; the term describes the roof’s shape, not its material. The church building is described as having a sloping roof with terracotta tiles, while the east wing is specifically described as having a shed roof. This distinguishes the wing’s roof shape, the tiles on the main roof and the function of the sacristy as three different aspects of the building’s composition.

If you are looking for a hotel in Maidstone, you can include the church’s architecture as a tangible cultural point of reference in your travel plans. The combination of the tower, different types of brick, marble and the east wing’s distinctive roof offers a clear theme for travellers interested in the design of a church building.

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