St Nicholas Church, North Walsham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicholas Church, North Walsham |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Norwich |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish Church |
| Leadership | Vicar |
| Location | |
| Location | North Walsham, Norfolk, England |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1330–1390 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 205 feet (62 m) |
| Width | 72 feet (22 m) |
| Website | |
| http://www.saint-nicholas.org.uk | |
St Nicholas Church is a famous old church in the middle of North Walsham, a town in Norfolk, England. It's easy to spot because its tall tower partly collapsed a long time ago! It's a special place for the Church of England.
A Look Back in Time
This amazing church started being built around 1330. Before that, there was an older, smaller church from Saxon times. It was made bigger in 1275 because North Walsham was growing fast!
Building work stopped a few times. First, it paused because of the 'Black Death' plague in 1348 and again in 1361. This terrible sickness meant there weren't enough skilled builders. That's why some of the windows have simple designs.
There was another delay in 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt. A large group of local farmers and workers rebelled. They were defeated by a strong army led by the Bishop of Norwich, Henry le Despenser. The church was finally finished and officially opened by Bishop le Despenser by the end of the 1300s.
The church was first dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later, after the English Reformation, its name changed to St. Nicholas.
Cool Features Inside
St Nicholas Church is one of the biggest parish churches in Britain! It has many unique things to see:
- A fancy, carved cover for the baptismal font that can move up and down.
- A huge iron chest with seven locks, used for keeping important things safe.
- Old wooden seats called misericords, which have hidden carvings underneath.
- Parts of a beautifully decorated screen with paintings of saints.
- A special Communion Table.
- The ornate marble tomb of Sir William Paston, 1st Baronet, a very important person from 1528-1610.
The Ruined Tower
The church's tower is a well-known landmark, standing about 85 feet tall. It used to be much taller! The original steeple reached 147 feet to the top, with a lead-covered wooden spire making it 180 feet high. Some local stories say the spire was added to compete with the tall tower in Cromer.
The tower collapsed on a Saturday morning, May 16, 1724, between 9 and 10 o'clock. The south-west corner, where the stairs were, just gave way. The church caretaker had noticed the tower looked unstable the night before when he went up to wind the clock. That day, the bells had been ringing for hours during a local fair, which might have caused the tower to shake too much.
The Vicar, Thomas Jeffery, wrote about the disaster in the church records: "Memorandum May 16. Between nine and ten o'clock in the forenoon on the Sat. fell down the north and south sides of the steeple and no person man woman nor child 'yt we hear of yet getting any mischief thereby. Thanks to be to God for his goodness therein." He was thankful no one was hurt!
After the collapse, the tower was open to the weather and got even more damaged. On February 17, 1836, strong winds brought down the north side of the ruins, causing a tremor in the town. The remaining east wall of the bell tower was later made shorter. One large window with its unique pattern still remains.
The Paston Way, a walking path from North Walsham to Cromer, starts right at St Nicholas Church.
Images for kids
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The ornate tomb of Sir William Paston
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The 15th-century font cover
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The organ
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A detail of the 1539 altar
