All Saints Church, West Harling
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church, West Harling, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the civil parish
of Harling
, Norfolk
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands in an isolated position on the edge of Thetford Forest
.
with ashlar
dressings, and some brick. It has tiled roofs. The plan is simple, consisting of a nave
with a south porch, a chancel
, and a west tower. The tower is in two stages, and is supported by buttress
es that are decorated with chequered flushwork
. In the lower stage is a two-light west window in Perpendicular style that dates from the 1902 restoration. On the south side is a niche
with a trefoil
head for a statue. At a higher level on the north and south sides are windows, again with trefoil heads. In the upper stage of the tower are paired lancet
bell openings, above which is a crenellated
parapet
; these all date from 1756. The porch is gable
d and has diagonal buttresses. In each side of it are two-light windows. In the north wall of the nave are two two-light early Perpendicular windows, dating from the middle of the 14th century, and a doorway. There is a similar window in the south wall, and a two-light window with plate tracery. The south wall of the chancel has a two-light window dating from 1902 and a priest's door. The east window has three lights and dates from about 1300. In the north wall of the chancel is a 13th-century lancet window
and a dormer window with Y-tracery
illuminating the organ loft. Around the exterior of the church are carved heads.
ed, both of these dating from 1902. In the chancel are a single piscina
, a double piscina, and a niche
for a sedilia
. On the back of the niche is a fragment of painted diaper
decoration. In some of the windows are pieces of medieval
stained glass. The octagonal font
dates from the 15th century. In the nave floor are three brasses
with dates in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The reredos
contains Flemish panels, and in the church is a bust dating from 1780.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Harling
Harling, Norfolk
Harling, Norfolk is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 2,201 in 932 households as of the2001 censusFor the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands in an isolated position on the edge of Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain, Thetford Forest Park is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk in England...
.
History
The church dates from the late 13th century, with alterations and additions during the following century. It was repaired in 1733, further alterations were carried out in 1756, and the church was restored in 1902.Exterior
All Saints is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings, and some brick. It has tiled roofs. The plan is simple, consisting of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a south porch, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, and a west tower. The tower is in two stages, and is supported by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es that are decorated with chequered flushwork
Flushwork
-Description:In architecture, flushwork is the decorative combination on the same flat plane of flint and ashlar stone. It is characteristic of the external walls of medieval buildings, most of the survivors being churches, in parts of Southern England, but especially East Anglia...
. In the lower stage is a two-light west window in Perpendicular style that dates from the 1902 restoration. On the south side is a niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
with a trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
head for a statue. At a higher level on the north and south sides are windows, again with trefoil heads. In the upper stage of the tower are paired lancet
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
bell openings, above which is a crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
; these all date from 1756. The porch is gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d and has diagonal buttresses. In each side of it are two-light windows. In the north wall of the nave are two two-light early Perpendicular windows, dating from the middle of the 14th century, and a doorway. There is a similar window in the south wall, and a two-light window with plate tracery. The south wall of the chancel has a two-light window dating from 1902 and a priest's door. The east window has three lights and dates from about 1300. In the north wall of the chancel is a 13th-century lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
and a dormer window with Y-tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
illuminating the organ loft. Around the exterior of the church are carved heads.
Interior
The nave has a hammerbeam roof and the chancel roof is barrel vaultBarrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
ed, both of these dating from 1902. In the chancel are a single piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
, a double piscina, and a niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
for a sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
. On the back of the niche is a fragment of painted diaper
Diapering
Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, silverwork etc. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.-Etymology:...
decoration. In some of the windows are pieces of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
stained glass. The octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 15th century. In the nave floor are three brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
with dates in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
contains Flemish panels, and in the church is a bust dating from 1780.