St Nicholas Church, Feltwell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicholas Church, Feltwell |
|
|---|---|
St Nicholas Church from the south
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | TL 712 909 |
| Location | Feltwell, Norfolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Nicholas |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 8 July 1959 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | c. 683 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 36 feet (11.0 m) |
| Width | 48 feet (14.6 m) |
| Materials | Body: flint and brick with ashlar dressings Tower: ferruginous conglomerate Roofs tiled Porch: brick |
St Nicholas Church is a very old Anglican church in the village of Feltwell, Norfolk, England. It is now a "redundant church," which means it is no longer used for regular church services. The church is a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically. It is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. St Nicholas Church is quite unusual because its west tower has partly fallen down. It is also wider than it is long, and it has two side aisles but no chancel (the part of a church where the altar is usually found).
Contents
History of St Nicholas Church
The first church on this spot was built around the year 683. Parts of it were taken down and rebuilt in about 1072. In the 1400s, more sections were added, including the side aisles and the clerestory (the upper part of the nave walls with windows). An eight-sided top was also added to the tower.
Changes Over the Centuries
Later in the 1400s, a fire damaged the church. It was repaired in 1491. However, by the 1500s, the church started to fall apart. In 1805, people described the church as being about 11 metres (36 feet) long. Including the aisles, it was about 15 metres (48 feet) wide. The chancel was about 8 metres (27 feet) long and 5 metres (17 feet) wide. The roof was made of thatch, and you had to walk up two steps to get inside. The tower was round at the bottom and eight-sided at the top, holding five small bells.
Restoration and Closure
The church was repaired in 1830. However, the chancel was taken down in 1862. The church had joined with St Mary's Church in the village in 1805. St Nicholas Church stopped holding regular services around 1864, except for funerals. In 1898, the tower collapsed while it was being repaired, and it was never rebuilt.
During the Second World War, German prisoners of war used the church for their worship. In 1973, the church was officially declared "redundant." It was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust in 1975. Today, the Feltwell Historical and Archaeological Society helps care for the church. It still holds two services each year.
Architecture and Design
Outside the Church
The main part of the church is built from flint and brick. It has ashlar stone dressings, which are carefully cut stones used for decoration. The roofs are covered with slate. The remains of the tower are made of a reddish rock called conglomerate. The porch is built from brick.
The church has a main area called a nave, with aisles on the north and south sides. There is a porch on the south side and what's left of the tower on the west side. The tower remains and the west wall are from the Anglo-Saxon period. Most of the church is built in the Perpendicular style, which was popular in England during the late Middle Ages.
Windows and Decorations
On the west wall of the south aisle, there is a window with two lights (sections). The porch has a pointed roof (gable) and diagonal buttresses (supports). It also has side windows that are now blocked up. The south and east walls of the south aisle have two-light windows.
The south wall of the clerestory has three two-light Perpendicular windows. Next to these windows are six carved panels made of flushwork (flint and stone patterns). These panels have decorated letters and designs. One panel is just decorative. The next one has the letters "S" and "t" with a crown above them. The next three panels might spell out the names of churchwardens or people who helped the church. The last panel has a checker pattern. Above this panel is a bell that was used to call gleaners (people who collected leftover crops).
The large three-light east window was moved from the original chancel when it was taken down. The east wall of the north aisle has a two-light Perpendicular window, and the north wall has a three-light window. Also in the north wall is a doorway with a plaque above it, dated 1830, which mentions the churchwardens. The windows in the north wall of the clerestory are similar to those on the south wall, but they don't have the carved panels between them.
Inside the Church
The porch has stone benches along each side. To the right of the doorway, you can see what might be the remains of a stoup, which held holy water. The inside of the porch roof is very decorative, with carved spandrels (triangular spaces) showing plants.
Inside the church, there are two arcades (rows of arches). The south arcade is from the 1200s and rests on piers shaped like four-leaf clovers (quatrefoil). The north arcade is from the 1400s, and its piers are diamond-shaped. The large, semicircular arch leading to the tower is in the Norman style. In the south aisle, there is a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) with a five-lobed top.
Special Features and Objects
Along the wall of the north aisle, there is a long seat. This seat was used when the church didn't have any other seating. Also in the north aisle is a stone coffin with a cross on its lid. This coffin was found outside the north door in 1830. A Norman pilaster (a flat column) carved with zigzags has been placed in the wall to the left of the altar.
The wooden crucifix on the altar was carved by a German prisoner of war. The font (a basin for baptisms) was moved here from a church in Stanton, Suffolk, in 1962–63. The Royal Air Force paid for its transport and re-installation. The pulpit (where sermons are given) was a gift from St Martin's Church in Cambridge around the same time.
The organ, which has one manual (keyboard), was made by G. M. Holdich in London in 1840. It was moved to St Nicholas Church from St Mary's Church in the village in 1925 and was repaired in 1977. When the tower collapsed, three of the five bells were too damaged to fix. One of the bells that survived was given to Ely Cathedral and was dedicated to St Etheldreda. The other surviving bell was sold and is now in St Mark's Church in Gabalfa, Cardiff. In 1970, the clappers (tongues) of the three destroyed bells were fixed and hung on the west wall of the church.
See also
