Blakeney Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blakeney Chapel |
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No structures are now visible above ground at the site.
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Cley next the Sea, Norfolk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°57′56″N 1°02′31″E / 52.9656°N 1.0420°E |
| Designations | |
Blakeney Chapel is a very old ruined building found on the coast of North Norfolk, England. Even though it's called a "chapel," it probably wasn't a religious building. It's also not in the village of Blakeney, but actually in the nearby area of Cley next the Sea.
The building stood on a small, raised area of land called an "eye." This spot was very close to the sea, less than 200 meters (220 yards) away. It was also just north of the River Glaven's path. The building had two rectangular rooms of different sizes. A map from 1586 shows it looking complete, but later maps show it as ruins. Today, only the foundations and a small part of a wall are left.
Between 1998 and 2005, archaeologists studied the site. They learned more about how the building was made and found signs of two different times when people actively used it. Even though some maps call it a chapel, there's no proof that it was ever used for religious purposes. The only clear sign of activity was a small fireplace, likely used for melting iron. Much of the building's stone was taken long ago to be reused in homes in Cley and Blakeney. The remaining ruins are protected because they are historically important. However, the sea is slowly moving closer, and the ruins might be lost in the future.
Contents
What Does Blakeney Chapel Look Like?
The ruins of Blakeney Chapel are mostly buried underground. They consist of a larger rectangular building (called S1) that was about 18 meters (59 feet) long and 7 meters (23 feet) wide. A smaller rectangular building (S2), about 13 meters (43 feet) long and 5 meters (16 feet) wide, was built onto the south side of the main room. Before archaeologists dug it up, only a 6-meter (20-foot) long section of a flint and mortar wall could be seen. It was only about 0.3 meters (1 foot) high.
The ruins sit on the highest part of an area called Blakeney Eye. This sandy mound is about 2 meters (7 feet) above sea level. It's located inside the sea wall, where the River Glaven turns west towards a safe harbor. Another similar raised area, Cley Eye, is on the east bank of the river. Even though it's called Blakeney Eye, this area is part of the parish of Cley next the Sea.
The land where the building stands was bought by the banker Charles Rothschild in 1912. He then gave the property to the National Trust, which has looked after it ever since. People cannot visit the site directly. The ruins are protected as a scheduled monument and a Grade II listed building because of their history. The land around them is also part of a large protected area called the North Norfolk Coast (SSSI). This area is important for its wildlife.
When Was Blakeney Chapel Used?
The building first appeared on a map in 1586. This map was likely made for a legal case about who owned "wrecked goods" found on the coast. The original map is gone, but copies still exist. On this map, the building on the Eye looks complete with a roof, but it doesn't have a name.
A map from 1769 called the building "Eye House." But by 1797, a map by mapmaker William Faden showed it as "chapel ruins." This name stuck from then on. Some maps even show another ruined chapel across the Glaven River, but there's no other proof that building ever existed.
There were other religious buildings in the area long ago. An early church was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book in a place called Esnuterle (an old name for Blakeney). However, no one knows where that 11th-century church was, and it's not thought to be on the site of the 'chapel.'
An old booklet from 1929 said there was a "chapel of ease" (a small church for people far from the main church) on the marshes. It said a friar from a nearby monastery served it. But the document it refers to only says a local hermit was allowed to ask for alms (donations) in different places. There is no proof that any religious building on the marshes was ever officially dedicated or mentioned in old church records.
How Did Archaeologists Study the Chapel?
The first study of the chapel ruins happened in 1998–99. This was done by a local history group with permission from English Heritage. They couldn't dig, so they used other methods. They measured heights, used geophysics (like electrical resistance and magnetism) to see what was underground, and even sampled molehills. The magnetic survey didn't find the chapel's buried parts but did find buried iron from wartime defenses. The resistance survey clearly showed the larger room, but barely found the smaller one. This suggested the smaller room had weaker foundations and was perhaps built later.
Plans to change the path of the Glaven River meant the Eye would no longer be protected from the sea. So, it was decided to study the site before it was destroyed. A first look was done in 2003, and a full study in 2004–05. The main digging happened in the winter of 2004–05, focusing on the building and the area 10 meters (33 feet) around it. The results showed that the site was used at different times. After the digging, the remains of the building were reburied, so nothing is visible on the surface today.
What Did They Find?
Early Times
The oldest signs of people living here are ditches from the 11th or 12th century. These ditches seem to have formed an enclosed area, and the 'chapel' was built over one corner of it. Not many items were found with the ditches, though some pieces of Roman or older pottery and three Henry III pennies were found nearby. By the 14th century, when the main building was constructed, the ditches were filled with sand.
A small fireplace (hearth) was built on the ground, either just before or during the building of the larger room (S1). It seems it wasn't used much, but the presence of slag (waste from melting metal) suggests it was for smelting iron. This means a smith might have worked there. At that time, hearths couldn't melt iron completely, but they made a "bloom" (a mix of iron and slag) that could be turned into wrought iron by heating and hammering. Another very old smelting hearth was found 17 kilometers (11 miles) east of here. The main ore (rock with metal in it) used in this area was iron-rich local carrstone.
Medieval Period
The larger north building (S1) was built strongly with flint and mortar, even without deep foundations. The main archaeologist thought "substantial time and money" were spent on it. The flints used got smaller as the walls went up. The inside corners were decorated with limestone blocks. Seashells were found, suggesting they were used to strengthen the mortar. There were entrances on the west and northeast sides, and possibly windows on the northwest and south walls. The floor was packed earth, and we don't know what the original roof was made of. However, some glazed floor tiles and Flemish pantiles (a type of roof tile) suggest it looked quite fancy. There was no inside wall at this time, but there might have been a wooden addition outside.
The medieval building was eventually left empty. Many of its stones were taken to be reused in Blakeney and Cley villages. A stone archway in Cley is believed to have come from the chapel, and it would fit the western entrance. The 'chapel' building was abandoned around 1600. It seems the main building had a big fire at some point, as no wooden parts were found. The site was also flooded at least three times after the building fell apart.
Most of the pottery found in the larger room was from the 14th to 16th centuries. Nearly a third of it came from other countries, showing how important the Glaven ports were for international trade back then. The pottery was mostly for everyday use, like jugs and cooking pots.
Later Times
In the 17th century, the smaller room (S2) was built. It used the south wall of the existing building as its own north wall. It was mostly made from materials taken from the larger building (S1), but the work was not as good. This new room had a double fireplace. Limestone blocks, like those in S1, were used in the fireplace. Besides pantiles from S1, there were also Cornish slate roof tiles.
At the same time S2 was built, a dividing wall was added across S1, creating a western room. This room had a solid mortar floor, which was relaid at least once and then covered with flint cobbles. This suggests it was a working area. The old hearth was not covered, so it might still have been used. A new fireplace was also added, which looked like it was for a home, but its location makes that unlikely. A clear path led southwest from S1, and a large midden (a pile of waste) was near the path. It's thought that a "clean" pit north of S1 was a well, where fresh water floated above saltwater.
There's not much evidence of the site being used after the 17th century. Some finds include a 19th-century tobacco pipe and Victorian glassware. A barbed wire fence from wartime ran through the ruins. Other modern finds included a gin trap (an animal trap), bullets, and small metal objects.
What Was Blakeney Chapel Used For?
Blakeney Eye has a long history of people living there, with many items found from the Neolithic (New Stone Age). However, fewer items from Roman or Anglo-Saxon times were found. A rare gold bracteate (a thin, round metal pendant) from the 6th century was a special find. Animal and plant remains showed that people ate both farm animals, like goats, and wild animals, like curlews. Rabbit and dog remains might mean their fur was used. Evidence of cereal (grain) processing is hard to date, but it could be from medieval times.
The buildings were abandoned in the 17th century. Their uses, which might have changed over time, are still unknown. The main building (S1) faced east-west and was well-built, which could suggest a religious use. However, there's no other proof, from archaeology or old documents, to support that idea. The small number of items found suggests that not many people lived there, or for very long, during medieval times. Other ideas for its use have been suggested, like a custom house (where taxes on goods were collected) or a warrener's house (for someone who managed rabbits). But again, there's no solid proof for these ideas.
What Threats Does Blakeney Chapel Face?
The River Glaven has been moved, which means the ruins are now north of the river's new path. This leaves them unprotected from the sea. The moving shingle (small stones) will no longer be washed away by the river. The chapel will be buried by this shingle ridge as it moves south, and then it will be lost to the sea, possibly within 20–30 years.
A ridge of shingle runs west along the Norfolk coast. It then becomes a spit (a narrow strip of land) that reaches into the sea at Blakeney. Saltmarshes can form behind this ridge. However, the sea constantly attacks the spit with tides and storms. A single storm can move a huge amount of shingle. The spit has sometimes been broken through, becoming an island for a while, and this could happen again. The northern part of an old village called Snitterley was lost to the sea long ago, probably due to a storm.
Over the last two hundred years, maps have been good enough to measure the distance from the ruins to the sea. In 1817, it was 400 meters (437 yards). By 1835, it was 320 meters (350 yards). In 1907, it was 275 meters (301 yards), and by the end of the 20th century, it was 195 meters (213 yards). The spit is moving towards the mainland by about 1 meter (1 yard) each year. Several raised islands, or "eyes," have already been lost as the beach has rolled over the saltmarsh.
The moving shingle caused the Glaven River channel to get blocked more often. This channel was dug in 1922 because an older, more northerly path was overwhelmed. The blocking led to flooding in Cley village and the important freshwater marshes. The Environment Agency looked at ways to fix this. Trying to stop the shingle or making a new opening for the river would be expensive and likely wouldn't work. Doing nothing would harm the environment. So, the Agency decided to create a new route for the river further south. This work was finished in 2007 and cost about £1.5 million.
Managed retreat (letting the coast change naturally) is likely the long-term plan for rising sea levels along much of the North Norfolk coast. This approach has already been used at other important places like Titchwell Marsh.
