The first church here in Hunstanton
was built on this same land which had been left to St. Edmunds Abbey at Bury by the Bishop
of Elmham in 1038. It is believed that the monks from Bury must have erected a
church here as one existed in the reign of Edward the Confessor (1041-1066). This
original church lasted for several centuries but all that is left are the font which is
still in use today, a stone piscina and a carved stone coffin now placed at the east end
of the north aisle which dates back to the 11/12th century.
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| Above is the early Norman font. It consists of a square bowl,
roughly carved, supported by four corner shafts and a thicker central shaft. The
mosaic pavement surround was taken from a design seen by Henry le Strange on a visit to
Vienna and was laid in the 1850's.
The stone coffin shown right is of 11th/12th century design. Clicking on
the photo you can see an enlargement and some general information about stone coffins
provided by 'Lyn Stilgoe of the Round Tower
Churches Society and member of the Norfolk Churches Trust. |
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Built solidly of flint and free stone, apart from the addition
of modern vestries (1950) and an organ chamber, the building is virtually as built in the
14th century by Sir Hamon le Strange, although in 1853 a major restortion was undertaken
when the roof was raised and the upper walls were pierced for the clerestory windows
improving the light within the nave.
Entry into the church is through the South Porch which has a decorated entrance
with stone tracery. An etching dated 1817 shows a beamed ceiling within the
porch which was removed during renovation in 1864. Possibly there had been a chamber
above but there is no trace of a door leading to it.
1817 etching of the South Porch
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South Porch as it is today
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The barrier across the entrance was, undoubtedly, to deter cattle
from entering. Although the supports for this ladder are now gone, such iron hooks
can still be seen on the porch of Holme-Next-The-Sea's church. There is no sign of
the niche above the entrance which today holds a statuette of Virgin and Child.
This large medieval key opens the main door of the church
It is 18 inches long
Photo by Gordon Groome
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The nave itself consists of five
bays which are separated from the north and south aisles by arcades with plain
double-chamfered arches. The stone benches on the north and south aisles of the
nave are an unusual feature.
The present pulpit is fairly modern, octagonal in shape and resting
on eight pillars of red marble. The pulpit itself is of white stone and
alabaster with recessed panels adorned with sculptured figures of Our Lord and the four
Evangelists and was a memorial to Henry Styleman le Strange from the parishioners,
superseding a Jacobean three decker.
Just below the chancel steps on the north side stands a brass
lectern, given by Henry le Strange as a thanksgiving for his wife's recovery from serious
illness, this being recorded in Latin. |
The lower panels of the Chancel Screen are
original sixteenth century work. The paintings are suffering from many years
exposure but the figures represent the eleven faithful apostles with St. Paul. St.
John carries a chalice of a peculiar pattern with a serpent issuing from its bowl.
The serpent typified both Wisdom and the Eternal healer.
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