St Peter and St Paul, East Harling facts for kids

St Peter and St Paul is a very old and important church in East Harling, Norfolk. It's known as a Grade I listed building, which means it's a really special historical place that needs to be protected. This church is part of a group of five churches called the Harling United Benefice. The other churches are St Andrew in Brettenham, St Mary in Bridgham, St Ethelbert in Larling, and St John the Evangelist in Rushford.

Quick facts for kids St Peter and St Paul
St Peter and St Paul, East Harling
St Peter and St Paul Location in Norfolk
52°26′30.84″N 0°55′35.04″E / 52.4419000°N 0.9264000°E / 52.4419000; 0.9264000
Location	East Harling, Norfolk
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	East Harling: St Peter & St Paul
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	St Peter and St Paul
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Years built	c.1300, some building to c.1450, restored 1878-9
Specifications
Bells	Eight (full circle ringing)
Tenor bell weight	9 long cwt (1,000 lb or 500 kg)
Administration
Diocese	Norwich

A Look at the Church's Past

The main part of the church, called the nave, with its special hammerbeam roof. This view looks towards the west from the chancel.

The Lady Chapel, with its beautiful screen.

This church has been a place of worship for over a thousand years! It was even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. The main parts of the building, like some windows and doorways, were built between 1300 and 1340.

A knight named Sir Robert Herling helped start the church's transformation. Later, his daughter, Lady Anne Herling, and her two husbands continued the work. Most of the church was finished by the mid-1400s. The tall, thin spire on top of the tower was added later. This spire actually inspired the design of another famous church, St Peter Mancroft, in 1882.

You can spot the Herling family's special symbols all over the church. Look for unicorns, birds, baskets, and quivers of feathers! In 1871, the church had a big makeover. Old box-like seats were replaced with the pews you see today. The roofs were also repaired and restored.

What the Church Looks Like Outside

The church walls are made of flint stone with smooth stone details. The roof is covered in lead, and so is the spire. The spire is held up by eight curved supports called flying buttresses. The entrance porch has cool patterns made from flint and stone. The tower on the west side has arched windows with two lights on each of its four sides, where the bells are.

The churchyard, where people are buried, was surrounded by a flint wall in 1829. It was made bigger in 1928. Many of the gravestones here date from the 1700s onwards. The wooden gate at the entrance, called a lychgate, was moved here in 1977 from another church.

Exploring Inside the Church

When you enter, you'll find the tower at the west end. Inside the tower, there's a spiral staircase with 73 steps. This leads up to the bell ringers' area. You'll also find the church clock mechanism here. It was made in 1826 and moved to this church in 1933.

The main part of the church, called the nave, has a fantastic roof. It's a single hammerbeam design, which means it has strong wooden beams that look like hammers. This roof is very tall, reaching 45 feet (about 13.7 meters) high! Twenty angel carvings support the roof's wooden posts. The spaces between the beams are carved with different designs.

The north aisle (side section) is wider than the south aisle. Tall arches separate the aisles from the nave. These arches have special four-leaf clover shapes called quatrefoils.

The Font and Old Treasures

In the middle of the nave's west end, there's a large, eight-sided stone font. This is where baptisms take place. It has beautiful carvings and a dark wooden cover from the 1600s. Nearby, you'll see a stone bowl for holy water. On the wall, there's a medallion of Sir Thomas Lovell, who lived a long time ago (he died in 1524). He was an important advisor to King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. This medallion is a copy of a bronze statue found in Westminster Abbey.

Also in this area, at the back of the seats, are two parts of an old screen from the Middle Ages. These wooden panels used to be part of a rood screen, which separated parts of the church. They were moved here in 1973. The wood is carved with detailed Bible scenes and the Herling unicorn, painted in green, red, and gold.

The church used to have a rare old lectern (a stand for reading). It was lost during the 1800s restoration. The current wooden lectern looks like a large eagle. It was given to the church in 1879. The pulpit, where sermons are given, was moved here around 1982 from another church. The old box-like seating was replaced with the current pine benches in 1871. These benches have lovely carved ends that copy the older designs.

The Lady Chapel

At the southeast side of the nave is the Lady Chapel. It's separated from the nave by a screen called a parclose screen. Part of this screen is from the 1300s and has faded red and green colors. Another part of the screen used to be part of a rood screen. It's painted red, green, and gold, with a dark blue sky and gold stars. You can see the Herling unicorn, human faces, dragons, and owls carved into it. Along the very top, there's a row of 25 small lion heads with their tongues sticking out! The Lady Chapel has four benches, an altar table, and a communion rail.

The Chancel and Its Carvings

In the chancel, the area near the main altar, there are two sets of special seats called misericord stalls. These date back to the 1400s. When you tip the seats up, you'll see a small shelf. This shelf was designed to help people stand during long prayers without getting too tired. The front of this shelf has family symbols called coats of arms. Each armrest has a carving of a different creature clinging to it.

• South side (from east to west):
  • A hairy bearded man with a sword and shield
  • A wyvern (a type of dragon)
  • An old lioness
  • An eagle
  • A unicorn

• North side (from east to west):
  • A griffin (a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle)
  • A pelican feeding its young (a symbol of care)
  • A lion

At the very front of the chancel is the high altar. On either side of it are two tombs. When people go up to the communion rail, they can admire the beautiful stained glass in the east window. To the north of the chancel, you'll find St Anne's Chapel and the Jesus Chapel. The Jesus Chapel used to be the ground floor of a two-story room and was even used as the local schoolroom! This chapel is now used for smaller services and has its own communion rail, a carved wooden altar, and two chairs.

The Organ

The Walker Organ

The church's organ has an interesting story! It was built in 1854 for a church in London. When that church closed, the organ was moved here in 1982 and put back together. The smaller organ it replaced was moved to another church.

The organ has two main parts: a smaller set of pipes that face south towards the center of the church, and a larger set that face west down the north aisle. The part you play, called the console, was updated in 2012. This organ has 35 different sounds (called stops) and can be played using two keyboards for your hands and one for your feet.

The Bells

The church has a set of eight bells that can be rung in a special way called "full circle ringing." Until 1992, there were only six bells.

• The first two bells were made in 1908 for a church in Norwich and were moved here in 1992.
• The third and fourth bells were made in 1746.
• The fifth bell was made by Christopher Grave.
• The sixth bell was made in 1677 and then remade in 1912.
• The seventh bell was made in 1616 and also remade in 1912.
• The largest bell, called the tenor bell, was made around 1520 and weighs about 9 tons!

Important Tombs and Monuments

Tombs

The church is home to five tombs or monuments belonging to the Herling and Lovell families.

• The oldest tomb is for Sir Robert Herling (who died in 1435) and Lady Joan. It's set into the south wall of the Lady Chapel. On top of the tomb are two stone figures of a knight and a lady. These figures might be even older, perhaps from an earlier tomb. Above them is a fancy stone canopy with carved family symbols.

• The Easter Sepulchre is a special window between the chancel and St Anne's Chapel. It's also the tomb of Lady Anne Herling (who died in 1498), Sir Robert Herling's daughter, and her first husband, Sir William Chamberlain (who died in 1462). Sir William also appears in the bottom right of the East Window. You can see their family symbols on the tomb.

• On the north side of the chancel is the tomb of Sir Francis Lovell (died 1550) and Dame Ann (died 1551). Sir Francis was the nephew of Sir Thomas Lovell. Three family symbols are carved on this tomb. A type of helmet called a morion hangs on the wall above it.

• Matching this style, on the south side of the chancel, is the tomb of Sir Francis's son, another Sir Thomas Lovell (died 1557) and Dame Elizabeth (died 1591). Again, three family symbols are on this tomb. A different type of helmet, a bascinet, hangs above this tomb.

• In the Lady Chapel, you'll find the very detailed tomb of yet another Sir Thomas Lovell (died 1604) and Dame Alice (died 1602). Their painted and gilded figures lie on top of the tomb, with their hands together in prayer. Sir Thomas's head rests on his helmet, and at his feet are peacock feathers. Alice's head rests on a cushion, and at her feet is a Saracen's scalp, held up by a pair of arms. The canopy above them is supported by three fancy columns and topped with three black pointed shapes called obelisks. Many family symbols are carved on this tomb.

The Beautiful East Window

The stunning East Window.

The stained glass in the east window is mostly from the mid-1400s. The very top parts have plant patterns added in the 1800s. There are 20 main panels in total. Sixteen of these show scenes from the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of Mary, which are important stories in Christianity. Two panels have small pieces of glass, and two show the people who helped pay for the window.

The window panels have been removed from the church twice for safety. The first time was in the 1640s, probably to protect them from people who might have wanted to destroy religious art. The second time was during World War II. Some pieces of glass from other windows in the church have been added to this one, like the two angels and the red squirrel. The red squirrel is a symbol of the Lovell family and can be seen in many places in the church. It even appears in a famous painting of Anne Lovell!