Former Chapel of St Andrew, Boarley Lane, Boxley, Kent: Tree-ring Analysis and Radiocarbon Wiggle-matching of Oak and Pine Timbers

Scientific dating of historic timbers Samples were taken during a repair project undertaken by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings from 36 timbers in the main building of the complex, and an additional two samples were taken from the later Post Office (north) extension at the entrance. Of these, 18 were dated by ring-width dendrochronology and four by radiocarbon wiggle-matching. A moulded tiebeam in the main chapel roof retained complete sapwood, and was from a tree felled in spring AD 1484. Two other timbers in this area of the building were likely to have had similar felling dates. Of three dated timbers from the western extension to the chapel roof, all of which appear likely to be broadly coeval, one had a likely felling date range of AD 1482-1509, suggesting that the extension took place quite soon after the completion of the primary roof or that timber was re-used from Boxley Abbey in the post-monastic period, with the extension co-eval with the first floor (see below). A group of eight timbers from trees felled in AD 142638 were used to construct the south-east extension, and repairs to the roof occurred in cal AD 14851520 and AD 1478-1505. In addition, the door-head was from a tree felled in winter AD 1436/7, suggesting the extension could not have been finished before AD 1437. The south-east wing contains two dated timbers that were probably felled at different times in the later 15th century. Radiocarbon wiggle-matching suggests that a floor was inserted at the west end of the chapel in cal AD 1676-1711. The two conifer timbers from the north extension were dated to the latter half of the 19th century or the early-20th century.