Description

SOUTH ELMHAM ST. CROSS
TM 28 SE
3/39 Church of St. George
1.9.53 (formerly listed as Church
of St Cross)

GV I

Parish church. C12, C14 and C15. Nave, with clerestorey, but without aisles,
chancel, south porch, and west tower, in rubble flint with the remains of old
render. Along the north wall the flintwork of the nave is coursed up to the
level of the clerestorey, and half-way along the chancel, which was extended
later. Freestone dressings. Crow-stepped brick gables to the east end of
nave and chancel. Slate roof to nave, plaintiles to chancel. Norman north
and south doorways to nave: on the north, plain, with a continuous arch,
damaged and blocked; on the south with one order of colonettes, one volute and
one flower capital, plain abaci, roll-moulded arch. The priest's doorway in
the chancel has a Tudor hood-mould in rendered red brick. 2-light and 3-light
windows to nave, one with Y-tracery on, the north side; 2 C19 replacement
windows on the south side of chancel, and a 3-light east window with cusped
intersecting tracery. The clerestorey has 2-light late Perpendicular windows
with traceried heads and hood-moulds in red brick, rendered. C14 south porch,
faced in random black knapped flint, with a shallow-pitched lead-covered roof.
2-bay open timber roof inside: moulded arched braces and purlins, florets to
the cornice. A small niche with shallow pointed arch in the east wall. Small
C14 tower in black knapped flint and rubble stone: 3 stages, with a string-
course between the 2nd and top stages and 2 diagonal buttresses with
chequerwork bases rising to the top of the 2nd stage. A simply panelled
crenellated parapet; small stair turret on the south side; cusped Y-tracery
window to each face of the top stage. The church was repaired in 1841, and
many internal features are of that date: benches in traditional style; pulpit;
chancel arch in Early English style; boarded chancel roof. Fine, high C15
tower arch, the capitals with small damaged heads and an outer moulding to the
arch and jambs with fleurons. Good font on a low octagonal base: 4 seated
lions round the shaft and around the bowl 4 seated lions alternating with 4
angels with shields. Remains of the rood stair behind the pulpit. Late C15
arch-braced roof to nave in 6 bays: the collars just below the apex, moulded
braces and purlins, carved and decorated cornice. At the back of the nave, an
ancient studded and banded chest.

Listing NGR: TM2995484266

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527245

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)