Description

TL 5562 SWAFFHAM BULBECK HIGH STREET
(West Side)

16/135 Church of St
Mary the Virgin
19. 8.1959 formerly listed as
Church of St Mary)

I

Parish church, C13, except for the chancel and aisles which,
although C13 in origin, were rebuilt in C14. Much of the clunch
work has been restored, including the tracery to many of the
windows. Mostly clunch with some limestone, slate and tiled
roofs. West Tower of clunch with limestone dressings to quoins
and buttresses. Three stages with a splayed plinth and blocked
parapet with a main cornice retaining four original beast
gargoyles. The fenestration and bell chamber openings are all
C13 with double chamfers in two centred arches, and includes a
West window of three lancets in a two-centred arch. Three stage
angle buttressing. The nave is also of clunch, but the
clerestorey was added in C15 and is of pebble and flint. The
roof is of shallow pitch. Each side of clerestorey has four
windows, each of two cinquefoil lights in four centred heads.
The South aisle, C14, is of clunch on a sill of flint with an
upper edge of limestone. The fenestration is C14 of clunch,
badly worn, but with original reticulated tracery, including an
East window of three lights. The stonework of the South porch
has been rendered. Outer arch two-centred and of two chamfered
orders. Inner arch of two wave moulded orders in two centred
arch with label and mask stops. The chancel has a flint sill
but the walls are rendered and probably of clunch. All the
windows have been restored. Interior. The nave arcade is in
four bays. Two centred arches of two chamfered orders with a
continuous roll moulded label. The columns are octagonal and
have moulded capitals and bases. The roof is C15 of shallow
pitch and of side purlin construction with a ridge piece. There
are four bays and a narrower bay to the East. The tie-beams and
intermediate principal rafters are carried on wall posts, those
of the intermediate principal wall posts are shortened above the
clerestorey windows, and there is arch bracing from the posts to
the tie beams. There are bosses at the intersections of the
main beams, and the tie beams and principal rafters are
moulded. The North and South aisles were rebuilt at about the
same time. Each has a moulded band at sill height terminating
in a mask stop at the side of the opposing North and South
doorways. The rear arches of the C14 windows in the aisles have
hollow moulding terminating in broach stops. North of the
chancel arch is the roof loft staircase entry. The chancel has
been much restored but retains a three-seat sedilia originally
of clunch, now mostly Ketton. Each bay in an ogee arch with
running foliate ornament terminating in a finial, and flanked by
shafts with crocketed finials. Apart from two or three benches,
the nave and aisles are almost completely furnished with intact
C15 pews, including two bench fronts, and, in the North aisle,
probably part of the originally uprights into which the bench
end were jointed to the wall. The rails are roll moulded and
the ogee shaped pew ends have elbows and embattled finials
carved with fabulous beasts. The font is C13
and of stone. Octagonal on an octagonal stem. There is a fine
C16 Italian cassone of cedar wood in the South chapel.

R.C.H.M. (North East Cambs.), p96, mon (1)
Pevsner (Buildings of England

Listing NGR: TL5552862248

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q40110447

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.

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