Description

TF 92 SE NORTH ELMHAM HOLT ROAD
(east side)

4/45 Church of St. Mary
30.5.60.

GV I

Parish church. Medieval and later. Flint with ashlar and some brick dressings.
West tower, aisled nave with south porch and chancel with flanking
chapels. West tower begun in second half of C14. Angle buttresses with
chequered flushwork becoming diagonal buttresses at bell stage. Western
porch accommodated between buttresses. Entrance arch with dying mouldings
and fleuron decorated cornice with pair of flanking gargoyles. 8 part rib
vault with mutilated central boss carving of the Coronation of the Virgin.
Vault springs from 4 carved corbels. Doorway with undercut floral motifs
and salamanders entwined in dying mouldings. 2 leaf door with C13 trilobe
hinges. Large 3-light Perpendicular west window with embattled transom.
Middle stage with 4 large 3-light blind flat-headed windows. Filled with
knapped flint except for single lower middle lights. Embattled transoms
and quatrefoil upper lights. Top stage with Perpendicular 3-light bell open-
ings. Fleuron decorated cornice with gargoyles and crenellated blind arcaded
parapet with corner pinnacles. Nave C13, C14 and C15 with C19 knapped flint
facing. 5 2-light Decorated style north aisle windows consisting of paired
mouchettes with central dagger alternating with reticulating motif of single
soufflet flanked by half soufflets, 12 (plus one in east gable) 2-light
Perpendicular clearstorey windows - panel traceried beneath shallow heads.
North aisle door rebuilt out of C13 mouldings with 10 stiff leaf capitals
arranged above it beneath a flat hood. South aisle with one C14 small blocked
ogee headed west window.- 4 restored C14 2-light windows with quatrefoil
soufflets and ovolo moulded bars.One large flat-headed 3-light cusped window.
Porch with diagonal buttresses, flushwork and 4 centred arch with dying mouldings. Small single light side windows with mouchettes. Original 3-bay arch
Faced roof on carved stone corbels. South doorway rebuilt out of C13 mouldings.
Buttressed south side chapel with 3 3-light panel traceried windows. Priest's
door in angle between chancel and chapel. Angle buttresses to chancel. One
fine 3-light Perpendicular south window, one C13 plate-traceried 2-light
north window with uncusped rose and carved label stops. C19 5-light east
window in late Geometric style. North side chapel with one 3-light Y-
traceried east window with cusping in lozenge lights only. 5-light north
window with flat head and reticulated tracery. Interior. 6-bay nave with
an additional lower single bay between chancel and side chapels. Easternmost
responds of this bay of c.1100 with paired half-shafts, nook shafts and
cushion capitals. They support C13 2-centred arches with roll-moulded outer
orders. Contemporary circular piers to west now incorporated in later chancel
arch responds. Pair of small, deeply splayed, lancet windows (blocked to
north) directly above Norman responds. C13 alternating octagonal and circular
nave piers heightened in the C14 or C15 re-using the C13 arches and capitals.
Former roof line on eastern face of tower. Perpendicular moulded tower arch
with semicircular responds* Chancel arch also with semicircular responds.
Victorian arcaded fittings to chancel in late C13 style. East window retains
original rere-arch nook shafts. Dado of chancel screen survives with spandrel
carvings and 17 painted saints of high quality. Jacobean western screen
beneath tower arch with massive turned balusters. C15 arch braced nave roof
with single sets of butt purlins. Carved and painted altar table dated 1622.
Some surviving medieval stained glass.

Listing NGR: TF9882321500

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535241

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)