St Nicholas' Church, Feltwell
Encyclopedia
St Nicholas' Church, Feltwell, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Feltwell
, 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 has a partly collapsed west tower, and is unusual in being broader than it is long, having two side aisles and no chancel.
s, clerestory
and an octagonal top to the tower were added in the 15th century. In the latter half of that century the church was damaged by fire, and it was repaired in 1491. However by the 16th century it had fallen into decay. In 1805 it was described as being 36 feet (11 m) long and, including the aisles, 48 feet (14.6 m) wide. The chancel
was 27 feet (8.2 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m), it had a thatched
roof, and was approached up two steps. The tower was round at the bottom and octagonal at the top, and it contained five small bells.
The church was restored in 1830, although the chancel
was demolished in 1862. Its parish
had been united with that of St Mary's Church in the village in 1805, and St Nicholas' closed for services other than funerals in about 1864. In 1898, when it was being repaired, the tower collapsed, and it has not been rebuilt. During the Second World War the church was used as a place of worship for German prisoners of war. It was declared redundant in 1973 and vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust in 1975. It is now cared for by the Feltwell Historical and Archaeological Society on behalf of the Trust, and is used for two services each year.
and brick with ashlar
stone dressings. The roofs are slate
d. The remains of the tower are in ferruginous
conglomerate
, and the porch is built in brick. Its plan consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and the remains of a west tower. The remains of the tower and the west wall of the church are Saxon
. Most of the church is in Perpendicular style. In the west wall of the south aisle is a two-light window. The porch is gable
d with diagonal buttress
es and has blocked square-headed side windows. In the south and east walls walls of the south aisle are two-light windows. The south wall of the clerestory contains three two-light Perpendicular windows. These are flanked by six flushwork
panels carved with decorated letters and designs. The first panel from the left is decorative, and the next one is carved with the letters 'S' and 't' surmounted by a crown. The next three panels spell out the names or initials of either the churchwarden
s at the time, or a pair of benefactors. The panel on the right bears a chequer pattern. Above the last panel is a gleaners'
bell. The Perpendicular three-light east window was moved from the original chancel when it was demolished. There is a two-light Perpendicular window in the east wall of the north aisle, and a three-light window in the north wall. Also in the north wall is a doorway over which is a churchwardens' plaque dated 1830. The windows in the north wall of the clerestory are similar to those in the south wall, without any intervening panels.
. The interior of its roof is ornate, and has spandrel
s carved with foliage. Inside the church are two three-bay
arcades
. The south arcade dates from the 13th century and is carried on quatrefoil piers
. The north arcade is from the 15th century, its piers being lozenge-shaped in section. The semicircular tower arch is massive and Norman
in style. In the south aisle is a piscina
with a cinquefoil head. Along the wall of the north aisle is set a seat, which was used when the church contained no other seating. Also in the north aisle is a stone coffin with a cross on its lid, which was dug up outside the north door in 1830. A Norman pilaster
carved with chevrons has been re-set into the wall to the left of the altar.
The wooden crucifix
on the altar was carved by a German prisoner of war. The font
was moved from a church in Stanton
, Suffolk
in 1962–63, the costs of transporting and re-erecting this being borne by the Royal Air Force
. The pulpit
came from St Martin's Church, Cambridge
, as a gift about the same time. The single-manual
organ was made by G. M. Holdich of London in 1840. It was moved here from St Mary's Church in the village in 1925 and was restored in 1977. When the tower collapsed, three of the five bells were damaged beyond repair. One of the bells was dedicated
to Saint Etheldreda
and presented to Ely Cathedral
. The other bell was sold and is now in St Mark's Church, Gabalfa, Cardiff
. In 1970 the tongues of the three destroyed bells were restored and attached to the west wall of the church.
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 Feltwell
Feltwell
Feltwell is a village 10 miles west of Thetford, Norfolk, England, and is in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.Feltwell is a small village with a thriving community. The village has a small primary school which was originally built as a hospital. The pubs, The Lodge and the West End, are...
, 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 has a partly collapsed west tower, and is unusual in being broader than it is long, having two side aisles and no chancel.
History
The original church on the site was built in about 683. This was partly demolished and rebuilt in about 1072. The aisleAisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
and an octagonal top to the tower were added in the 15th century. In the latter half of that century the church was damaged by fire, and it was repaired in 1491. However by the 16th century it had fallen into decay. In 1805 it was described as being 36 feet (11 m) long and, including the aisles, 48 feet (14.6 m) wide. 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 27 feet (8.2 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m), it had a thatched
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
roof, and was approached up two steps. The tower was round at the bottom and octagonal at the top, and it contained five small bells.
The church was restored in 1830, although 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 demolished in 1862. Its parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
had been united with that of St Mary's Church in the village in 1805, and St Nicholas' closed for services other than funerals in about 1864. In 1898, when it was being repaired, the tower collapsed, and it has not been rebuilt. During the Second World War the church was used as a place of worship for German prisoners of war. It was declared redundant in 1973 and vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust in 1975. It is now cared for by the Feltwell Historical and Archaeological Society on behalf of the Trust, and is used for two services each year.
Exterior
The body of the church 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...
and brick 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...
stone dressings. The roofs are slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
d. The remains of the tower are in ferruginous
Iron oxide
Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...
conglomerate
Conglomerate (geology)
A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual clasts within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together. Conglomerates are sedimentary rocks consisting of rounded fragments and are thus differentiated from breccias, which consist of angular clasts...
, and the porch is built in brick. Its plan consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and the remains of a west tower. The remains of the tower and the west wall of the church are Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
. Most of the church is in Perpendicular style. In the west wall of the south aisle is a two-light window. 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 with diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and has blocked square-headed side windows. In the south and east walls walls of the south aisle are two-light windows. The south wall of the clerestory contains three two-light Perpendicular windows. These are flanked by six 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...
panels carved with decorated letters and designs. The first panel from the left is decorative, and the next one is carved with the letters 'S' and 't' surmounted by a crown. The next three panels spell out the names or initials of either the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s at the time, or a pair of benefactors. The panel on the right bears a chequer pattern. Above the last panel is a gleaners'
Gleaning
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest...
bell. The Perpendicular three-light east window was moved from the original chancel when it was demolished. There is a two-light Perpendicular window in the east wall of the north aisle, and a three-light window in the north wall. Also in the north wall is a doorway over which is a churchwardens' plaque dated 1830. The windows in the north wall of the clerestory are similar to those in the south wall, without any intervening panels.
Interior
The porch has stone benches along each side, and to the right of the doorway are what are thought to be the remains of a stoupHoly water font
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is used in Catholic Church and Lutheran churches, as well as some Anglican churches to make the Sign of the Cross using the holy water upon entrance and exit...
. The interior of its roof is ornate, and has spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s carved with foliage. Inside the church are two three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
. The south arcade dates from the 13th century and is carried on quatrefoil piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The north arcade is from the 15th century, its piers being lozenge-shaped in section. The semicircular tower arch is massive and Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
in style. In the south aisle is a 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...
with a cinquefoil head. Along the wall of the north aisle is set a seat, which was used when the church contained no other seating. Also in the north aisle is a stone coffin with a cross on its lid, which was dug up outside the north door in 1830. A Norman pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
carved with chevrons has been re-set into the wall to the left of the altar.
The wooden crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
on the altar was carved by a German prisoner of war. 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:...
was moved from a church in Stanton
Stanton, Suffolk
Stanton is village situated in north Suffolk, about nine miles north-east of Bury St. Edmunds, on the A143 road to Diss. Close to the village lies the former WW II airfield RAF Shepherds Grove, where American forces were based. One of the main landmarks in the village is the fine restored windmill...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in 1962–63, the costs of transporting and re-erecting this being borne by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
came from St Martin's Church, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, as a gift about the same time. 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 made by G. M. Holdich of London in 1840. It was moved here from St Mary's Church in the village in 1925 and was restored in 1977. When the tower collapsed, three of the five bells were damaged beyond repair. One of the bells was dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
to Saint Etheldreda
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
and presented to Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
. The other bell was sold and is now in St Mark's Church, Gabalfa, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. In 1970 the tongues of the three destroyed bells were restored and attached to the west wall of the church.