St Mary the Virgin's Church, Wiggenhall
Encyclopedia
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Wiggenhall, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the civil parish
of Wiggenhall St Germans
, Norfolk
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands at the end of a lane to the north of the village of Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, some 5 miles (8 km) south of King's Lynn
. It is notable particularly for the quality of carving of its wooden fittings.
in 1862 by G. E. Street
.
s have lead roofs, and the nave
and chancel
are slate
d. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory
and North and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel and a west tower. Its architectural style is Perpendicular, and it is said to be a "fine example" of this style. The tower is in three stages, and has angle buttress
es and stair turret
s. In the lowest stage is a west window in Perpendicular style. The middle stage contains lancet window
s. In the top stage are two-light Perpendicular bell openings. The parapet
is battlement
ed. The east and west windows of the aisles contain three-light Perpendicular windows, and in their side walls are two-light windows. The south porch is in brick and it has a tunnel vault
. Above the exterior doorway is a sundial
dated 1742. On both sides of the porch are two-light Perpendicular windows. The south door dates from the 13th century, and has two orders of columns. The clerestory has five windows on each side. On the north side is another 13th-century door with two orders of columns. The chancel contains two two-light windows on the south side, and one similar window and a priest's door on the north side. The Perpendicular east window has four lights.
arcades
between the nave and the aisles. The chancel contains a piscina
. The dado
of the chancel screen, which dates from a period between about 1500 and 1525, is in two bays on each side. Each side is divided into two panels, all of which contain paintings of saints. The pulpit
dates from the early 17th century and has an associated reading desk and sounding board
. In the southeast of the church is a parclose screen dating from the early 16th century which has a frieze
of Perpendicular tracery
. The font
cover dated 1625 is elaborate. It consists of four columns supporting an arcade with pendants
, and has a conical roof with a ball finial
on which is a vulning pelican
. The brass lectern
is dated 1518. The benches date from about 1500, or earlier, and are carved with pierced patterns, tracery, figures of saints in niches
, crenellated
buttresses, animals and poppyheads
.
In the north aisle is a monument to Sir Henry Kervil who died in 1624. It consists of an alabaster
tomb chest on which lie the recumbent effigies
of Sir Henry and his wife. On the wall above this is a blank tablet surrounded by Corinthian
columns supporting an entablature
containing a coat of arms
. A brass
in the floor of the south aisle is to the memory of Sir Robert Kervile, and is in the shape of a heart. Sir Robert died abroad, his wife retrieved his heart and buried it in the church. The two-manual
organ was built in 1880 by G.M. Holdich, and was donated to the church by the squire
, George Helsham. The ring
consists of six bells. The oldest two of these were cast in 1638 by John Draper, one bell was cast in 1765 by Joseph Eayre, and the remaining three are dated 1873, cast by John Warner and Sons.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Wiggenhall St Germans
Wiggenhall St Germans
Wiggenhall St Germans is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,155 in 476 households as of the 2001 census....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands at the end of a lane to the north of the village of Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, some 5 miles (8 km) south of King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. It is notable particularly for the quality of carving of its wooden fittings.
History
The north and south doorways date from the 13th century, and the rest of the church from about 1400. It was restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1862 by G. E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
.
Exterior
The church is constructed in carstone and brick. The aisleAisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s have lead roofs, and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
are slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
d. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
and North and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel and a west tower. Its architectural style is Perpendicular, and it is said to be a "fine example" of this style. The tower is in three stages, and has angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s. In the lowest stage is a west window in Perpendicular style. The middle stage contains lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. In the top stage are two-light Perpendicular bell openings. The parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed. The east and west windows of the aisles contain three-light Perpendicular windows, and in their side walls are two-light windows. The south porch is in brick and it has a tunnel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. Above the exterior doorway is a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dated 1742. On both sides of the porch are two-light Perpendicular windows. The south door dates from the 13th century, and has two orders of columns. The clerestory has five windows on each side. On the north side is another 13th-century door with two orders of columns. The chancel contains two two-light windows on the south side, and one similar window and a priest's door on the north side. The Perpendicular east window has four lights.
Interior
Inside the church are five-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
between the nave and the aisles. The chancel contains a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. The dado
Dado (architecture)
In architectural terminology, the dado, borrowed from Italian meaning die or plinth, is the lower part of a wall, below the dado rail and above the skirting board....
of the chancel screen, which dates from a period between about 1500 and 1525, is in two bays on each side. Each side is divided into two panels, all of which contain paintings of saints. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from the early 17th century and has an associated reading desk and sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
. In the southeast of the church is a parclose screen dating from the early 16th century which has a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
of Perpendicular tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
cover dated 1625 is elaborate. It consists of four columns supporting an arcade with pendants
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
, and has a conical roof with a ball finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
on which is a vulning pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
. The brass lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
is dated 1518. The benches date from about 1500, or earlier, and are carved with pierced patterns, tracery, figures of saints in niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
, crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
buttresses, animals and poppyheads
Poppyhead (carving)
Poppyhead is a form of carving of the end of a bench or a choir stall. The carving consists of leaves and flowers, which are usually in the form of a fleur-de-lys....
.
In the north aisle is a monument to Sir Henry Kervil who died in 1624. It consists of an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
tomb chest on which lie the recumbent effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Sir Henry and his wife. On the wall above this is a blank tablet surrounded by Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns supporting an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
containing a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. A brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
in the floor of the south aisle is to the memory of Sir Robert Kervile, and is in the shape of a heart. Sir Robert died abroad, his wife retrieved his heart and buried it in the church. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1880 by G.M. Holdich, and was donated to the church by the squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
, George Helsham. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells. The oldest two of these were cast in 1638 by John Draper, one bell was cast in 1765 by Joseph Eayre, and the remaining three are dated 1873, cast by John Warner and Sons.