St Mary's Church, Moulton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Moulton |
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St Mary's Church, Moulton, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | TG 403 067 |
| Location | Moulton St Mary, Norfolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 25 September 1952 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint and brick, limestone dressings Roofs tiled and slated |
St Mary's Church is an old church with a round tower, located near Moulton St Mary in Norfolk, England. It's a very important historical building, protected as a Grade I listed site. The Churches Conservation Trust takes care of it. You'll find it about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Acle, in a quiet spot next to a farm.
A Look Back in Time
The church's round tower was built way back in the 1100s. The main part of the church (the nave) and the area around the altar (the chancel) were added in the 1300s. The entrance porch on the south side was built in the 1500s. Later, in the 1870s, the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt.
Church Design and Features
St Mary's Church is built from flint and red brick. It also uses limestone for details. The tower and nave have tiled roofs. The chancel and porch have slate roofs.
Outside the Church
The church has a nave (the main seating area) with a porch on the south side. It also has a chancel (the area near the altar) and a tower on the west side.
- Different Styles: The tower is built in the Norman style. The nave and most of the chancel are in the Gothic style. The porch is Tudor, and the east wall of the chancel is in the Georgian style.
- The Tower: The tower is round and has a cone-shaped roof. It has a narrow window high up on the south side. On the north side, there's an opening with louvred slats for bells. The west side has a window that used to have two lights, but it's now blocked.
- The Porch: The porch has a sundial in one corner. Above the doorway, there's a small niche. Both sides of the porch have blocked windows that once had three lights.
- Walls and Windows: The south wall of the nave has three sections, separated by buttresses. The middle section has a three-light window with Perpendicular patterns. The other two sections have two-light windows with Y-shaped patterns. The south wall of the chancel has two two-light windows and a door for the priest. The chancel roof is lower than the nave's roof. The east wall of the chancel is made of brick and has a three-light window. On the north side of the chancel and nave, you'll find wide, single lancet windows. Other parts of the north nave wall have two- and three-light windows, plus a doorway.
Inside the Church
- Chancel Details: In the south wall of the chancel, there's a double piscina (a basin for washing communion vessels) and a sedilia (seats for the clergy). The wooden benches in the chancel are from the 1600s. They are carved with decorative poppyheads. The communion rail, also from the 1600s, has turned posts and supports.
- Rood Loft Remains: At the southeast corner of the nave, you can see what's left of a stairway. This stairway used to lead up to a rood loft, which was a platform above the screen separating the nave from the chancel.
- Wall Paintings: The nave walls have amazing 14th-century wall paintings that are still in good condition. The paintings on the north wall show Saint Christopher. On the south wall, you can see pictures representing the Seven Acts of Mercy.
- Monuments and Furniture: The nave also has a wall monument for Edmund Anguish, who passed away in 1616. The pulpit (where sermons are given) is octagonal and from the early 1600s. It's beautifully carved and has a backboard and a tester (a canopy above it). The font, used for baptisms, is also octagonal. Each side is carved with two blind arches. It dates back to the 1200s and stands on a central stem with eight smaller columns.
