St Mary the Virgin's Church, Wiggenhall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary the Virgin's Church, Wiggenhall |
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St Mary the Virgin's Church, Wiggenhall, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | TF582144 |
| Location | Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, Norfolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 8 July 1959 |
| Architect(s) | G. E. Street (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Groundbreaking | 13th century |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Carstone and brick Slate and lead roofs |
St Mary the Virgin's Church is a very old church in a village called Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, in Norfolk, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, but it's looked after by a group called the Churches Conservation Trust. This church is super special because it's a "Grade I listed building," which means it's really important for its history and architecture. People especially love the amazing wooden carvings inside! You can find it about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of a town called King's Lynn.
Contents
A Look Back: Church History
How Old Is This Church?
The oldest parts of St Mary's Church, like the doorways on the north and south sides, were built way back in the 1200s. Most of the church you see today was built around the year 1400.
Restoring the Church
Many years later, in 1862, the church got a big makeover. A famous architect named George Edmund Street helped restore it. This helped keep the church in good shape for future generations.
Exploring the Church's Design
Outside the Church
The church is built from a type of stone called carrstone and bricks. The roofs over the side sections (called aisles) are made of lead, while the main part of the church (the nave) and the area near the altar (the chancel) have slate roofs.
What Does It Look Like?
The church has a main hall (nave) with high windows (clerestory) and side aisles. There's a porch on the south side and a tall tower at the west end. The church is built in a style called Perpendicular, which means it has lots of straight lines and tall windows. It's considered a beautiful example of this style.
The Tower and Windows
The tower has three levels. It has strong supports (buttresses) at the corners and small stair towers. On the lowest level, there's a large window. The middle level has narrow, tall windows (lancet windows). At the very top, there are openings for the bells, which have two lights (sections). The top edge of the tower looks like a castle wall (battlemented).
The windows in the side aisles have three sections at the ends and two sections along the sides. The south porch is made of brick and has a rounded ceiling. Above its outer door, there's a sundial from 1742. The south door itself is very old, from the 1200s, and has decorative columns. The high windows in the nave (clerestory) have five windows on each side. On the north side, there's another old door from the 1200s. The chancel has two windows on the south side and one on the north, plus a door for the priest. The large east window has four sections.
Inside the Church
Main Areas and Screens
Inside, the main hall (nave) is connected to the side aisles by five arched openings (arcades). In the chancel, there's a special basin called a piscina that was used for washing sacred vessels.
The lower part of the screen separating the chancel from the nave is very old, from the early 1500s. It has paintings of saints on its panels. The pulpit, where sermons were given, is from the early 1600s and has a special canopy above it called a sounding board. There's also a screen in the southeast part of the church from the early 1500s, decorated with fancy patterns.
Font and Lectern
The cover for the baptismal font is from 1625 and is very fancy. It has four columns holding up arches with hanging decorations. The top is shaped like a cone with a ball on top, which has a carving of a pelican feeding its young. The brass stand for reading (lectern) is from 1518.
Benches and Carvings
The wooden benches in the church are very old, some from around 1500 or even earlier. They are beautifully carved with patterns, figures of saints in small alcoves, castle-like decorations, animals, and special carvings called poppyheads at the ends.
Monuments and Bells
In the north aisle, there's a monument to Sir Henry Kervil, who passed away in 1624. It has stone figures of him and his wife lying down on a chest. Above them, there's a blank stone tablet with decorative columns and a family coat of arms.
On the floor of the south aisle, there's a brass plaque shaped like a heart. This is for Sir Robert Kervile. He passed away while abroad, and his wife brought his heart back to be buried in the church.
The church also has an organ with two keyboards, built in 1880 by G.M. Holdich. It was a gift from George Helsham, who was the local squire. There are six bells in the tower. The two oldest bells were made in 1638. One bell was made in 1765, and the other three were made in 1873.
See also
