St George's Church, Shimpling
Encyclopedia
St George's Church, Shimpling, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Shimpling
, 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
. It stands at the end of a short lane to the south of the village.
date from the 12th century. During the following century an octagonal top was added to the tower and the chancel
was built. In the 15th century the original windows in the nave were replaced. The chancel roof was replaced in 1633. The church was restored
between 1867 and 1874 by E. C. Lee. During the restoration a small spire was added to the top of the tower, and the north porch was replaced. The church closed in 1987.
with stone dressings and tiled roofs. Parts of the exterior have been rendered
. The porch is timber-framed
with brick nogging
and carved bargeboard
s. The plan of the church is simple, consisting of a nave with a north porch, a chancel and a west tower. The lower part of the tower is round and the upper part is octagonal. In the upper part are bell openings on each of the four cardinal
faces, with similar but blank windows on the faces between. On top of the tower is a lead-covered spirelet. The windows in the chancel are Early English with Y-tracery
, and those in the nave are in Perpendicular style.
of the chancel roof is inscribed with the date 1633 and initials. The benches in the nave are a mixture; some carved with poppyheads
(and one with pierced tracery) date from the 15th century, and the rest are from the 19th century. Under the tower arch are the remains of a screen. The font
dates from the 15th century. Its octagonal bowl is carved with the symbols of the Four Evangelists
, alternating with angels holding the Instruments of the Passion
. Beneath the bowl are more angels, and the stem is surrounded by carved lions. All the furniture in the chancel is Victorian, and in the chancel is a dropped sill below the south window which acts as a sedilia
. Although much of the stained glass has been destroyed, some dating from the late 13th or early 14th century in the chancel, and from the 15th century in the north nave windows, is still present. The single-manual
organ was built in 1871 by Bevington. The ring
consists of five bells. Four of these were cast in 1735 by Thomas Newman, and the other in 1843 by Thomas Mears II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
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 village of Shimpling
Burston and Shimpling
Burston and Shimpling are small villages and form a united parish in the county of Norfolk, England. The parish covers an area of and had a population of 538 in 206 households at the 2001 census....
, 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...
. It stands at the end of a short lane to the south of the village.
History
The lower part of the tower and the naveNave
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...
date from the 12th century. During the following century an octagonal top was added to the tower and the 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...
was built. In the 15th century the original windows in the nave were replaced. The chancel roof was replaced in 1633. The church was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
between 1867 and 1874 by E. C. Lee. During the restoration a small spire was added to the top of the tower, and the north porch was replaced. The church closed in 1987.
Exterior
St George's 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 stone dressings and tiled roofs. Parts of the exterior have been rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. The porch is timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
with brick nogging
Infill
Infill in its broadest meaning is material that fills in an otherwise unoccupied space. The term is commonly used in association with construction techniques such as wattle and daub, and civil engineering activities such as land reclamation.-Construction:...
and carved bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
s. The plan of the church is simple, consisting of a nave with a north porch, a chancel and a west tower. The lower part of the tower is round and the upper part is octagonal. In the upper part are bell openings on each of the four cardinal
Cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...
faces, with similar but blank windows on the faces between. On top of the tower is a lead-covered spirelet. The windows in the chancel are Early English 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:...
, and those in the nave are in Perpendicular style.
Interior
The tie beamTie (engineering)
A tie, structural tie, connector, or structural connector is a structural component designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut, which is designed to resist compression. Ties are generally made of galvanized steel...
of the chancel roof is inscribed with the date 1633 and initials. The benches in the nave are a mixture; some carved with poppyheads
Poppyhead (carving)
Poppyhead is a form of carving of the end of a bench or a choir stall. The carving consists of leaves and flowers, which are usually in the form of a fleur-de-lys....
(and one with pierced tracery) date from the 15th century, and the rest are from the 19th century. Under the tower arch are the remains of a screen. The 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. Its octagonal bowl is carved with the symbols of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
, alternating with angels holding the Instruments of the Passion
Arma Christi
Arma Christi , or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with Jesus' Passion in Christian symbolism and art....
. Beneath the bowl are more angels, and the stem is surrounded by carved lions. All the furniture in the chancel is Victorian, and in the chancel is a dropped sill below the south window which acts as 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...
. Although much of the stained glass has been destroyed, some dating from the late 13th or early 14th century in the chancel, and from the 15th century in the north nave windows, is still present. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1871 by Bevington. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of five bells. Four of these were cast in 1735 by Thomas Newman, and the other in 1843 by Thomas Mears II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...