The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5274 STONE RECTORY ROAD
TQ 57 SE 4/68 1.6.67 Church of St Mary
I
2. C13, C14, C15, C16 and C19. The Bishops of Rochester had a manor at Stone and the church was in their patronage. Built of flint with stone dressings, patched with brick in places, and tiled roof. Chancel with north chapel, now the vestry, nave with lean-to aisles and west tower, the aisles continued to the north and south of the tower to end flush with its west wall. Late C13 interior with 3 bay nave and rib-vaulted chancel. Late C13 chancel wall arcading - the spandrels of which are identical to similar arcading in Westminster Abbey in the Choir Chapel - which indicates a date of circa 1260 and that Westminster masons built the church at Stone. The north aisle has remains of late C13 wall paintings. The west tower is early C14 and there is a Perpendicular north chapel of circa 1527. G E Street restored the church circa 1859-60 and the roof dates from this time. Brass to John Lumbarde died 1408. Small tomb chest to Sir John Wiltshire died 1527. Small hanging monument in west chapel to Robert Chapman died 1574. Listing NGR: TQ5704675064 (1)

Description from record TQ 57 SE 24:
[TQ 5764 7481] St. Mary's Church [NAT] (2) Stone Church dates from about 1250 (3) It was damaged by fire in a storm in 1639. (4) In use for public worship. (5)

Church of St Mary, Rectory Road. C13, C14, C15, C16 and C19. The Bishops of Rochester had a manor at Stone and the church was in their patronage. Built of flint with stone dressings, patched with brick in places, and tiled roof. Chancel with north chapel, now the vestry, nave with lean-to aisles and west tower, the aisles continued to the north and south of the tower to end flush with its west wall. Late C13 interior with 3 bay nave and rib-vaulted chancel. Late C13 chancel wall arcading - the spandrels of which are identical to similar arcading in Westminster Abbey in the Choir Chapel - which indicates a date of circa 1260 and that Westminster masons built the church at Stone. The north aisle has remains of late C13 wall paintings. The west tower is early C14 and there is a Perpendicular north chapel of circa 1527. G E Street restored the church circa 1859-60 and the roof dates from this time. Brass to John Lumbarde died 1408. Small tomb chest to Sir John Wiltshire died 1527. Small hanging monument in west chapel to Robert Chapman died 1574.(6) Additional bibliography.(7-9) Additional bibliography, nor consulted. (10-11)

During ground works for drainage four burials were uncovered. Two had intact, although crushed, coffins with fittings. These fittings and the fact that the skulls were stained red, evidence of recently decayed hair, suggest that these are late post-medieval burials. The remains have been now reburied in the graveyard. Additional finds included a few fragments of 13th century pottery and a small quantity of flint flakes. Five were as a result of knapping during the construction of the church walls and three of Neolithic/Bronze Age date. (12)

Within the Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin Church 11 test pits were dug in 2009 during an archaeological evaluation of the area prior to the construction of a proposed Church Hall. These test pits revealed a number of disarticulated human bones and coffin fittings. The artefactual evidence recovered dates from the 10th Century AD to the 20th Century AD. (13-14)

Archive material (15)

AOC, 2013, St Mary's Church, London Road, Greenhithe, Kent: an archaeological evaluation report. (Unpublished document). SKE53766.

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> O.S. 6" 1938-39 (OS Card Reference). SKE47827.

<3> Arch. J. vol. 20, 1863, p. 397. (Excursion Report) (OS Card Reference). SKE37153.

<4> Historical Notes on Dartford. 1876, pp. 22-3. (J. A Sparvel-Bayley) (OS Card Reference). SKE44085.

<5> Arch. J. vol. 20, p. 397. (OS Card Reference). SKE37154.

<6> DOE(HHR) Dist. of Dartford, Kent. March 1982 25 (OS Card Reference). SKE41116.

<7> F1 CFW 12-NOV-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42550.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 57 SE 24 - November, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3061.

<11> Archaeology South-East, 2002, An Archaeological Watching Brief at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stone, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12235.

<12> Kathryn Grant, 2009, An Archaeological Evaluation at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Stone, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16144.

<13> Diocese of Rochester (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1996, Stone, St Mary:Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29512.

<15> Historic England, Archive material associated with St Marys Church in Stone, Dartford (Archive). SKE53764.