The following text is from the original listed building designation:
In the entry for;
TQ 5474 2/8 HIGH STREET
TQ 5473 3/8 (north side)
22.12.53 Church of the Holy Trinity
GV B
the grade shall be amended to read; I.
1. HIGH STREET
5274 (North Side)
Church of the
Holy Trinity
TQ 5474 2/8
TQ 5473 3/8 22.12.53.
B GV
2.
Parish church. This consists of a Nave with aisles, a chancel with north and south chapels and a Tower. The lower portion of the tower is Norman the upper portion C15. The north of St Thomas's chapel dates from about 1220. The remainder of the church is C14. The west corner of the south aisle of the nave was cut off in 1792 to widen the High Street. Nos 78 to 82 (even) and the Church of the Holy Trinity form a group. Listing NGR: TQ5440573998 (1)

Description from record TQ 57 SW 36:
[TQ 5440 7400] Church [T.U.] (2)

Holy Trinity Church, Dartford. The wide bays, the wide north aisle and the absence of a clerestory are characteristic features of Kentich churches. The lower part of the tower is E. Norman, and may have been built by Bishop Gundulf of Rochester, apparently outside a chancel already existing. The chancel was rebuilt in the 13th century, and a large north chapel was added east of the tower. The nave with its aisles is 14th C. The south aisle of the chancel, or lady chapel, was built or rebuilt in the 15th C., and the vestry with large room above, and the west porch were added. Arches were made through the E. and W. walls of the tower, the top of which is probably c. 1470. Part of the old roof of the chancel remains. (3)

Holy Trinity Chruch, a large building with traces of 11th, 13th and 14th C. work, much restored in 1863, 1877 and 1922. The plan is exceptional; the tower being placed between the north aisles of nave and chancel. The top stage is Perp., but the lower stories, with much tufa in windows and doorways, is c.1070. The battlements are a chequer of flint and stone
[See Illustration Card (4)] (4-5)

The church is in regular use for divine worship. (6)

Checked and correct. (7)

Parish Church of the Holy Trinity. Grade B. (For full description see list). (8)

Additional bibliography. (9-10)

See TQ 57 SW 166 for excavation at Bridge House (Phase II), opposite Holy Trinity Church. An excavation was carried out in an area to the north of Holy Trinity churchyard. The purpose of the excavation was to examine the construction of the churchyard wall and to record any archaeological features uncovered during this work. The investigation also revealed three distinct stages in the churchyard wall of which two lie buried underground.(11)

Additional Bibliography (12-13)

Prior to the building of an extension to the church hall, an evaluation took place in May 1995 (centred on TQ 54420,74010). This evaluation consisted of a trench and test pit. The test pit, a 1m by 1m pit excavated on the east side of the chancel, only revealed disturbed ground (as it was located along the line of the existing church drainage). The trench (located directly north of the church), was 5m by 4m and excavated to a depth of 1.2m. It was then stepped and an area 3m by 2m extended downwards to a total depth of 2.4m. A modern soakaway (1971) had disturbed much of the ground in the trench and the bones of at least 14 disarticulated humans were found in its backfill. Despite this, seven undisturbed burials were recorded in three different layers of burials at 1.1m, 1.6m and 2.0m. The associated artefacts suggest that the burials themselves date to the 17th to 18th centuries (although the later report suggests a 17th to early 19th century date). The items recorded included coffin handles, nails, iron and copper tacks (upholstery nails) and fragments of the coffin or coffin lining itself. Much of the metalwork had mineralized wood attached to it and there was evidence that some of the coffins were lined. In addition a few sherds of medieval and post medieval pottery were recorded, a number of clay pipe fragments (of 18-19th century date) and a number of glass vessel fragments [14].

Excavation work (centred on TQ 54420,74015) followed on from the evalution, in 1996. The burials recorded during the excavation phase were assigned to one of four levels, as opposed to the three levels used in the evaluation, the lowest two levels of the excavation equating to the lower level of the evaluation. The upper level had been completely truncated away however, due to overmachining and so the excavaton concentrated on the surviving lower levels. It is not clear from the report whether the 47 burials it refers to include the 7 undisturbed and at least 14 disarticulated humans recorded during the evaluation. It is the compiler's belief that the 47 recorded are in addition, to the 21+ from the evaluation. The burials from the excavation were recorded predominantly from the lowest two levels, at 2m below the current ground surface. The report states however that they are not necessarily the oldest, as in some instances the later burials were cut deeper than the earlier ones. The main burial horizons were located in a deposit which was very homogenous and made it impossible to locate grave cuts associated with individual burials and identify later burials cut into earlier burial levels. Any deposits relating to the medieval church which may have been in this area, would have been totally destroyed by its continued use as a post medieval burial ground.
The state of preservation of the skeletal material varied across site, but the burials from the upper levels had survived in better condition than the lower levels. The burials from the lower levels were in an inconsistent environment, in contact with the fluctuating water levels of the adjacent River Darent. They were densely packed together and showed some evidence of intercutting, with only two complete skeletons recovered, the remaining 45 being truncated and incomplete. This may suggest that grave markers were not used regularly or frequently removed/displaced. It was not possible to accurately date the burials on the basis of stratigraphic or aretefactual evidence, however the coffin furniture that was recovered, suggests that they are all of post-medieval date.
The remains from the lowest level of burials contained very few pieces of ironwork, suggesting that the dead were buried in very plain coffins and in some cases perhaps no coffins at all. This may suggest that they predate the establishment of a specialised undetaking trade in the later 17th century and that some could be of medieval date?
In addition a brick built vault was recorded of possible 18th century date. It was rectangular in plan, but contained no in-situ burials. Following its removal, seven badly compacted burials were recorded from beneath its base (part of the 47 recorded from the excavation phase).
Above the deposit containing the main burial horizons were a series of modern layers and disturbances.
Beneath the burials were 1-2nd century Romano-British remains (TQ 57 SW 215). Residual Prehistoric flints were also identified during the excavation (TQ 57 SW 253).
Medieval evidence was restricted to a few pottery sherds and tile fragments, which the report suggests may indicate that the area north of the church was left as an open space, or that later grave digging had removed any evidence of medieval activity. It is also possible however, that some of the 'earliest' burials were of medieval date (15).

Building recording carried out when internal render stripped 1996 (16)

Project architect suggested early medieval fabric revealed in the tower.

Historic england archive material (18)

2002 watching brief results (19)

<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. 79, 1922, pp. 392-3 (Rev. F.V. Baker) (OS Card Reference). SKE37201.

<4> Little Guides, Kent, 1935 p.148. (J.C.Cox & P.M.Johnston) (OS Card Reference). SKE46143.

<5> Hist. & Ants. of Dartford, 1844, p.22 (J. Dunkin) (OS Card Reference). SKE44057.

<6> F1 ASP 14-OCT-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42107.

<7> F2 ASP 11-SEP-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43103.

<8> DOE (HHR) Dist of Dartford 1975 6 (OS Card Reference). SKE40236.

<9> Bldgs of Eng West Kent and the Weald 1980 255-256 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38051.

<10> Arch Cant 18 1889 383-398 (Scott Robertson) (OS Card Reference). SKE34764.

<11> RCHME Recorder comment. JPL 27-JAN-1994. (OS Card Reference). SKE49008.

<12> Schiavi, I., 1994, The Church of the Holy Trinity, Dartford & its Nineteenth Century Restorations, Sciavi, I 1994 'Holy Trinity Church and its 19thC Restoration' (Architectural Assoc. Building Conser (Unpublished document). SKE12024.

<13> Thomas Ford & Partners, 1994, Holy Trinity Church, Dartford - Reordering (Unpublished document). SWX7075.

<14> South East Archaeological Services (now ASE), 1995, An Archaeological Assessment on land to the East of Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SWX7019.

<15> Archaeology South-East, 1996, An Archaeological Excavation at Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE11948.

<16> Howard Austin Jones, 1996, Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, Kent. Interim Archaeological Report (Unpublished document). SWX6831.

<17> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1995, Dartford, Holy Trinity: Diocesan church survey (Unpublished document). SKE29613.

<18> Historic England, Historic England Archive associated with Holy Trinity Church Dartford (Archive). SKE53793.

<19> Archaeology South - East, 2002, An archaeological watching brief at Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE53794.