St Nicholas, Blakeney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicholas |
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| St Nicholas Church, Blakeney | |
View from south east
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 St Nicholas
Location in Norfolk
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| 52°57′4″N 1°1′29″E / 52.95111°N 1.02472°E | |
| OS grid reference | TG 032 435 |
| Location | Blakeney, Norfolk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 1959 |
| Architectural type | |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Blakeney |
| Deanery | Holt |
| Diocese | Norwich |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Nicholas is a historic Anglican church in Blakeney, Norfolk. It is a parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church was first built in the 1200s, but most of what you see today was built in the 1400s. Back then, Blakeney was a very important seaport.
One special thing about St Nicholas Church is its two towers. There's the main tower at the west end, and a smaller, unusual tower at the east end. This smaller tower might have been used as a beacon to guide ships. The church also has a beautiful vaulted (arched) ceiling in the chancel and a special hammerbeam roof in the main part of the church, called the nave.
St Nicholas Church is a very important building in England. It has a special "Grade I listing" because of its amazing architecture. Much of the original church furniture was lost during the English Reformation in the 1500s. However, a big restoration project in the late 1800s helped bring back some of its original look.
The church also has some cool features like old graffiti of ships, beautiful stained glass windows, and memorials to local lifeboat crews.
Contents
A Look Back: Church History
Early Days and Building the Church
St Nicholas is the main church for Blakeney, Norfolk, a small English town with a long history. Blakeney was once a busy port where people traded things like fish, grain, and wood. In old records from 1086, the town was called "Esnuterle." The name "Blakeney" first appeared in 1340.
We know there was an early church in Snitterley, but we don't know exactly where it was. The church you see today was built in the late 1200s or early 1300s. It sits on a hilltop, which is unusual for churches in this area. Most others are built on small hills near water.
The church was named after Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors. This makes sense for a port town like Blakeney! Over the years, different families and groups looked after the church. For a long time, the Abbot and Convent of Langley helped manage it. Later, the Calthorpe family took over, and they were involved with the church until 1922.
Blakeney became a richer town in the 1400s. This was because it was one of the few ports allowed to trade valuable goods like horses, gold, and silver. Because the town was doing well, many churches in Norfolk were rebuilt. St Nicholas Church was mostly rebuilt in 1434. The only part that stayed largely the same was the chancel, probably because it was connected to a nearby Carmelite friary. The tall, 31-meter (104-foot) west tower and the main part of the church (the nave) were built during this time. The smaller, eastern tower was added later.
Changes During the Reformation
The English Reformation in the 1500s brought big changes to St Nicholas Church. In 1547, King Edward VI ordered that all images in churches, like stained glass, statues, and altars, should be removed or destroyed. Blakeney Church also saw these changes. Records from 1552 show that parts of the church were falling apart. For example, the chancel was decaying, and the church porch was "defiled with cattel" (meaning animals were getting in).
The church's leaders at the time didn't seem to care much for the building. However, one good thing that came from the Reformation was that churches had to start keeping registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials. Blakeney's records are mostly complete from 1538.
Restoring the Church
The church was originally built with flint and stone. In the 1880s, much of it was refaced with neatly shaped flint. The main tower was also repaired around this time. In 1886, a wall was built behind the altar to create a separate room called a sacristy, where church clothes and items are stored.
More big repairs happened between 1981 and 1983. These included fixing the roof, cleaning and painting the chancel, and updating the heating and electrical systems. In 2000, the floor of the nave was replaced, and a new heating system, toilet, and kitchen were added. A second altar was also put in closer to the people, making services feel more connected.
In 1959, St Nicholas was named a Grade I listed building. This means it's considered a building of "exceptional interest" and is protected.
Exploring the Church's Design
St Nicholas Church is a large Gothic church. It has a main area called the nave with side sections called aisles. There's a deep chancel, a large tower at the west end, and a smaller tower at the east end. The north porch was rebuilt in 1896.
The Towers
The large west tower has battlements (like castle walls) and pointed decorations called pinnacles. It's supported by strong buttresses at each corner. These buttresses have carved shields on them. One shield shows the arms of the Norwich diocese, and the other has a cross and a dolphin. The tower has three windows in the belfry and a large window on its western side, which lets light into the nave.
The smaller, eastern tower is shaped like a polygon. It also has buttresses and windows for a belfry. No one is completely sure why this second tower was built. It might have been a staircase turret that was later made taller to look better or to act as a beacon for sailors. Even though it's not as tall as the west tower, some people think that lining up the two towers helped guide ships safely into the port.
Inside the Church
The nave is about 30 meters (100 feet) long and 14 meters (47 feet) wide. It's separated from the side aisles by arches. Light comes in through windows along the sides and from higher windows called a clerestory. The nave has a beautiful oak and chestnut hammerbeam roof from the 1400s. You can see carved angels on the "hammers" (parts of the roof structure).
The 13th-century chancel has a rib vaulted (arched) ceiling. It's one of only six churches with this type of ceiling from that early period. The chancel has three windows on each side from the 1400s. It's also famous for its unusual east window, which has seven stepped lights. This is a very rare feature! The chancel also has three simple seats for priests, called sedilia.
Church Furnishings and Art
The Font and Woodwork
The font, where baptisms take place, is from the 1400s. It has eight sides with carvings. These carvings show symbols of the Four Evangelists (like a lion for St Mark) and seated figures of important church teachers. The central part of the font has shields with symbols of the Instruments of the Passion (things related to Jesus's crucifixion). One shield is special because it shows a sword with an ear stuck to it, which refers to a story from the Bible.
Most churches in this area lost their old wooden furnishings during the Reformation. St Nicholas is similar, but it still has its amazing hammerbeam roof. A few old benches, a beam that supported the rood (a large cross), and two panels from the rood screen (a screen separating the nave from the chancel) also remain.
The church was nicely restored in the late 1800s and early 1900s. New wooden stalls and seats were made to match the old ones. The pulpit, built in 1886, looks like the font, with carvings of the Instruments of the Passion and the Twelve Apostles. People have called this pulpit "Victorian craftsmanship of matchless quality."
In 1910, the rood screen was restored, and a large pipe organ with over a thousand pipes was installed. The organ pipes are above the screens, and the rest of the organ is hidden in the room above the chancel.
Stained Glass Windows
Most of the stained glass windows in the church are from the late 1800s. They were made by a company called James Powell and Sons. These windows are considered excellent examples of the Arts and Crafts Movement style. The east window, from 1895, shows the Te Deum (a hymn). The south windows, from 1900, tell stories from the early British church.
Some small pieces of original 15th-century stained glass were found buried in the churchyard. These were put into a window in the north aisle in 1938. They show "Christ rising from the tomb" and angels. The angels' legs are wearing "feather tights," which might have come from costumes used in medieval plays.
The north porch has two modern blue-themed stained glass windows from 2002 by Jane Gray. One is dedicated to the RAF, and the other to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Overall, the stained glass in St Nicholas Church is considered to be of "phenomenal standard."
Memorials and Old Graffiti
Remembering People
You can find several memorials inside the church. John Calthorpe, who helped fund the Carmelite friary, is buried at the east end of the nave. His grave has a brass plaque with his arms and a Latin message calling him a "founder of the convent of friars."
Blakeney was a lifeboat station from about 1825 to 1924. Many plaques on the walls remember the brave lifeboat crews and their rescues. There are blue wooden boards from the RNLI listing earlier lifeboats and their achievements. A stone plaque lists rescues from 1877 to 1924, including those by the last lifeboat, the Caroline. There's also a painting of George Long, the coxswain (captain) of the Caroline, above a record of its most famous rescues in 1918, when 30 people were saved from two ships in a storm.
A large wooden board acts as a war memorial, listing local people who died in wars. The clock in the west tower was given in 1945 to remember a Mrs. Cooke's husband and sons.
Ancient Graffiti
Many old churches in Norfolk have a lot of graffiti from before the Reformation. St Nicholas Church is famous for this! It has many prayers, merchant's marks (symbols used by traders), and other drawings. What's really special is the large number of ships drawn on the walls – at least 30 of them! Most of these ship drawings are found in the nave, especially near the eastern end of the south aisle.
These ship drawings were likely made by sailors from the port as votive offerings. This means they were scratched into the stone as a kind of prayer or promise, perhaps asking for safety at sea. Carving ship graffiti in religious buildings is a very old tradition in port towns, going back to the Bronze Age, and it has been found all over Europe.
You can also see Mason's marks, which stonemasons used to identify their work. These marks became common in England after the Norman Conquest. Merchants also had their own marks to identify their products, and these often appeared on houses, gravestones, and church walls.
People and Community
Past Rectors and Burials
The Calthorpe family was involved with the church for a very long time. Some rectors (church leaders) are remembered with plaques in the chancel. For example, Mowbray O'Rorke, who was a bishop in Africa, became rector of Blakeney in 1924. Another rector, Clifford Leofric Purdy Bishop, later became a bishop himself.
The graveyard around the church is where many local people and sailors are buried. You'll see several stones with the last name "Long," which was the name of many crew members on the Caroline lifeboat. A famous person buried here is Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin, a well-known British racing car driver from the 1920s. There are also three war graves for soldiers who died in World War I and World War II.
Church Services and Activities
As of 2019, the rector of St Nicholas Church is the Rev Richard Lawry. The church shares services with four other churches in the area. Usually, there are five services on Sundays and two during the week. Like many churches in England, most of the people attending are older. However, there are monthly family services especially for children.
St Nicholas Church is also used for many non-religious events. These include flower festivals, craft workshops, and music performances. The church has even won awards for its helpful information for visitors. It has been praised in books and newspapers for being a lively place that serves as a community center, market, and museum, not just a church.
