Church Heritage Record id18712

Skip over navigation

Core DetailsLocationBuildingInteriorChurchyardSignificanceEnvironmentForumAudit

Norwich: St Michael-at-Coslany

Name:

This is the church’s legal name as given by the Church Commissioners.

Norwich: St Michael-at-Coslany
Record Type:

A classification of the current status of the building

Closed Church
Church code:

This is a unique identification number supplied to each church building by the Church Commissioners.

Diocese:

Name of diocese in which the church building is located at the time of entry.

Norwich
Archdeaconry:

Name of archdeaconry in which the church building is located at the time of entry

Norwich
Parish:

This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.

Norwich, St. George, Colegate

Please enter a number

Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?

The decision to put a church building on the National Heritage List for England and assign it a listing grade is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is normally based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on the historic environment.

This is a Grade I Listed Building
View more information about this Listed Building on the National Heritage List for England web site
Scheduled Monument?

The decision to schedule a feature (building, monument, archaeological remains, etc.) located within the church building’s precinct or churchyard is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on cultural heritage.

There is no Scheduled Monument within the curtilage or precinct

National Park

National Parks are areas of countryside that include villages and towns, which are protected because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. In England, National Parks are designated by Natural England, the government’s advisor on the natural environment.

Work in progress - can you help?

Conservation Area

Conservation areas are places of special architectural or historic interest where it is desirable to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of such areas. Conservation Areas are designated by the Local Council.

Work in progress - can you help?

Please enter a number

Heritage At Risk Status

On Heritage At Risk Register?

The Heritage at Risk programme is run and managed by Historic England, the government’s advisor on cultural heritage. It aims to protect and manage the historic environment, so that the number of ‘at risk’ historic places and sites across England are reduced.

This church is not on the Heritage at Risk Register
 **************

Approximate Date

Approximate Date:

Selecting a single date for the construction of a church building can sometimes be very difficult as most CoE buildings have seen many phases of development over time. The CHR allows you to record a time period rather than a specific date.

The CHR records the time period for the building’s predominant fabric as opposed to the date of the earliest fabric or the church’s foundation date.

Work in progress - can you help?

Exterior Image

Exterior of St Michael-at-Coslany
Caption:

603242 

Exterior of St Michael-at-Coslany
Description:

It seems to be the wrong photograph. Provided coordinates come up with another church on geograph.org.uk

Image of the Exterior of St Michael-at-Coslany Church
Year / Date:

2011, April 06

2017
Copyright:

Keltek Trust

University of East Anglia
Originator:

Keltek Trust

The Medieval Churches of Norwich

Summary Description

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
St Michael and All Angels is located between Colegate and Oak Street, approximately 120m north of the river Wensum. In the early fifteenth century, the church consisted of a chancel, an aisleless nave, and a west tower. Remains of all these are still visible, especially the tower which was perhaps begun c.1415 but took some decades to complete. The south-west window and south door of the nave, and much of the chancel (the ground plan and roof and the wall arcade on the south side) also survive and give a good sense of the character of the church at this period. A major transformation of the church began in around 1496, when aisles and chancel chapels were built, doubling the width of the church. The existing nave arcade, the walls of the aisles and chapels, and the large four-centred windows all date from this phase of building, however work on the south side was never completed.

Visiting and Facilities

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The church is closed for worship.
Date closed for worship: Unknown
Work in progress - can you help?
 **************

Church Website

Church Website:

www.holytrinitylyonsdown.org.uk

Work in progress - can you help?

Sources and Further Information

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
The Medieval Churches of Norwich (2017) Exterior of St Michael-at-Coslany [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Exterior of St Michael-at-Coslany
James Miles (2018) Closed Churches [Digital Archive/Data]
University of East Anglia (2015) The Medieval Churches of Norwich [Digital Archive/Monograph]
https://norwichmedievalchurches.org
The Medieval Churches of Norfolk (2017) Interior of St Michael-at-Coslany [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Interior of  St Michael-at-Coslany
ICBS (1817-1989) Incorporated Church Building Society Archive https://images.lambethpalacelibrary.org.uk/luna/servlet/detail/LPLIBLPL~34~34~101007~115335 [Archive/Graphic material]

Groundplan

ICBS File Number - 05177

Coverage - 1867

Created by GOODWIN & BUTCHER

Church Buildings Council (2019) Church Bells 8 Bells [Archive/Index]
8 Bells

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: TG 228 089

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Administrative Area

County:

The administrative area within which the church is located.

Norfolk County

Location and Setting

This field describes the setting of the church building, i.e. the surroundings in which the church building is experienced, and whether or not it makes a positive or negative contribution to the significance of the building.

THE CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL stands immediately east of the southern end of Oak Street and on the northern side of Colegate. It occupies one of the largest churchyards in the city with access to both streets via a doorway in the western tower and a nave doorway southward. Oak Street is probably on the line of a Roman road, extending from the River Wensum towards the small Roman town of Brampton some 20km to the north. The curtilege of the churchyard has been curtailed by widening of both Oak Street and Colegate in the early 20th century. As suggested by Pennell it appears to have originally occupied an acre, and ‘ten feet of frontage were ceded in Oak Street (west) and twenty feet in Coslany Street (south)’ (c.1925, 21).

THE ALIGNMENT OF OAK STREET south of Colegate, here known as Coslany Street, veers away from the presumed Roman alignment in order to cross the river at Coslany Bridge. From the 13th century at the latest, this was effected with two structures, taking traffic on to an island in the Wensum and off again to the south bank (Sandred and Lindström 1989, 15; Ayers 2014, 132–33). The braid of the river north of the island was gradually infilled during the medieval and post-medieval period although traces of it survived into the 19th century and were mapped on the First Edition Ordnance Survey, and the channel was seen in archaeological excavations in 1995 (Oakey 1996, 405–406). This proximity to the river and to an early crossing was clearly important because St Michael’s is one of only two churches where the parish boundary crosses to the opposite bank; the other is St Martin-at-Palace, a church also associated with an early river crossing (Campbell 1975, map 7). The low-lying situation of the church meant that it was prone to flooding; Pennell (c. 1925, 33) noted four feet of water in the church in 1912.

IT REMAINS DIFFICULT to characterise the origins of Coslany as a whole. It lies outside the identified line of the 10th-century defences surrounding the Anglo-Scandinavian burh on the north bank. It is possible that it lay within a smaller defensive system cutting off the southern end of the Oak Street peninsula where it is bounded by the river to the west and south and by the marshy deposits of the ‘water of Muspole’ to the east (Ayers, forthcoming). A date for the foundation of the church in the late tenth or early 11th century would fit with the dedication to Michael, a saint whose popularity declined markedly after the Norman Conquest.

 

Ayers, B. 2014. ‘Norwich before Norwich: An Exploration of the Pre-Urban Landscape of the Medieval City’. In Ashley, S. and Marsden, A. (eds.), Landscapes and Artefacts: Studies in East Anglian Archaeology presented to Andrew Rogerson. Oxford.

Ayers, B. forthcoming. ‘‘Coslania, Norwich: an archaeological contribution to medieval urban history’.

Campbell, J. 1975. ‘Norwich’. In Lobel, M. D. (ed.), Historic Towns II. London.

Oakey, N. 1996. ‘Norwich, Coslany Street (Site 26435; TG 227 089)’ in Gurney, D. and Ashwin, T. (eds.), ‘Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1995’, Norfolk Archaeology 42, pt. 3, 397-412

Pennell, T. E. N. c.1925. Annals of the Church of St Michael and All Angels, Coslany Norwich. Norwich

Sandred, K.I. and Lindström, B. 1989, ‘The Place-Names of Norfolk: Part One - The PlaceNames of the City of Norwich’, English Place-Name Society, vol. XVI

Church Plan

Work in progress - can you help?

Ground Plan Description and Dimensions

Ground Plan

Provide as written description of the ground plan of the church building and well as its dimensions.

Work in progress - can you help?

Dimensions

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Footprint of Church buildings (m2):

Small (<199m2)

Medium (200-599m2)

Large (600m-999m2)

Very Large (>1000m2)

Work in progress - can you help?

Description of Archaeology and History

This field aims to record the archaeological potential of the wider area around the building and churchyard, as well as the history of site.

Work in progress - can you help?

Exterior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the exterior of the church building and the churchyard.

Work in progress - can you help?

Architects, Artists and Associated People/Organisations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Building Fabric and Features

This field is an index of the building and its major components

Work in progress - can you help?

Building Materials

This field is an index of the building’s material composition

Work in progress - can you help?

Interior Image

Interior of  St Michael-at-Coslany
Caption:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Interior of St Michael-at-Coslany
Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Image of the interior of St Michael-at-Coslany Church
Year / Date:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
2017
Copyright:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
University of East Anglia
Originator:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The Medieval Churches of Norfolk

Interior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the interior of the church building.

THE EARLY 15TH-CENTURY west tower of St Michael’s was built onto an aisleless nave. Many decades later work began to transform the body of the church by constructing arcades and aisles. The north aisle was apparently begun first, and the burial of Joan Ferrour is recorded there in 1496 (Cozens-Hardy and Kent 1938, 31). In 1504 Richard Hert, priest, requested burial 'within the holy sanctuary upon the north side of the church of St Michael of Coslany in Norwich within the precinct of the new aisle there to be edified' (NCC RYXE 84).

THE CHAPEL OF ST WILLIAM at the east end of the aisle (north of the chancel) was under construction in 1511, funded in large part by William Ramsey (PROB 11/17). It was not until 1516 that leading the roof on the north side of the church was envisaged, as recorded in the will of Gregory Clerk (PROB 11/18). By that time construction was well advanced on the chancel chapel and aisle on the south side of the church.

AS WE SEE IT TODAY, the nave of St Michael Coslany was constructed between about 1496 and 1516. It is one of four churches with similar arcades built in the years around 1500 (Haward 1995, 100-01). The others are St Martin at Oak (south nave arcade-1490s), St George Colegate (both nave arcades c.1500) and St Andrew (nave and chancel arcades from about 1506). All are characterised by tall, diamond section piers (deeper north-south than east-west) with shafts at the cardinal points; all support four-centred arches. There are however significant differences. There is no indication at St Michael’s that a clearstorey was envisaged and nor is it likely. It would have obscured the middle storey of the tower on the eastern side and served to detract from the freestanding height of the tower. Before the raising of the floor levels in the church to combat the risk of flooding, the arcade arches would have stood 25’ (7.62m) above the ground, considerably more than the 20’6” (6.25m) of contemporary work at St George Colegate. It would thus have been an impressive ‘hall’ church, in which the slope of the aisle roofs continued more or less uninterrupted up to the apex of the nave roof, and the overall open width of the main space was privileged over the addition of upper windows.

THE NEW NAVE ARCADES used the same foundations as the earlier solid walls. The procedure was to cut a vertical section from the wall where a pier was to be located, and then to construct the pier in the void (Woodman 2015, 279-80). Once a pair of piers was in place, work could begin on gradually cutting into the masonry the shape of the arch between them. This void could then be filled with the voussoirs that would constitute the arch. The masonry must have been very carefully propped during this process to prevent the wall above from collapse. The whole operation seems to have been achieved without removing the roof. It is likely that the wall plate supporting the eaves of the roof would have helped distribute the downward pressure of the roof structure along the length of the wall. The next pier to be built would have stood in the opening of the south doorway into the old aisleless nave, but there is no indication that work ever started on it. As a result the old south door into the nave is still in place, and the porch in front of it survived until the 18th century.

Cozens-Hardy, Basil and Kent, Ernest A. 1938. The Mayors of Norwich, 1403 to 1835: Being Biographical Notes on the Mayors of the Old Corporation. Norwich.

Haward, Birkin. 1995. Norfolk Album: Medieval Church Arcades. Ipswich.

Ward, Rachel. 1999. 'The chantry certificates of Norfolk: towards a partial reconstruction', Norfolk Archaeology 43, 287-306.

Woodman, Francis. 2015. ‘St Peter Mancroft and Late Medieval Church Building in Norwich’, Norwich: Medieval and Early Modern Art, Architecture and Archaeology. In Heslop, T. A. and Lunnon, Hele

Internal Fixtures and Fittings

This field is an index of the building’s internal, architectural components. This includes its internal spaces and those areas’ fixtures and fittings (building components which are securely fixed to the church or cathedral).

Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Internal Fixtures and FittingsInternal Fixtures and Fittings
BELL (1 of 8)
BELL (2 of 8)
BELL (3 of 8)
BELL (4 of 8)
BELL (5 of 8)
BELL (6 of 8)
BELL (7 of 8)
BELL (8 of 8)

Portable Furnishings and Artworks

This field is an index of the building’s movable, non-fixed furnishings and artworks.

Work in progress - can you help?

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: TG 228 089

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Ecology

This field aims to record a description of the ecology of the churchyard and surrounding setting.

Work in progress - can you help?

Ecological Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

The everyday wildlife of burial grounds means much to those who visit and cherish them but many burial grounds are so rich in wildlife that they should be designated and specially protected. Few have the legal protection of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in the case of local authority owned cemeteries, Local Nature Reserve. This makes it even more important that they are cared for and protected by the people looking after them.

Many have a non-statutory designation as a recognition of their importance. These non-statutory designations have a variety of names in different regions including Local Wildlife Site, County Wildlife Site, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation or Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Local Wildlife Site is the most common name). Their selection is based on records of the most important, distinctive and threatened species and habitats within a national, regional and local context. This makes them some of our most valuable wildlife areas.

For example, many burial grounds which are designated as Local Wildlife Sites contain species-rich meadow, rich in wildflowers, native grasses and grassland fungi managed by only occasional mowing plus raking. When this is the case, many animals may be present too, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. This type of grassland was once widespread and has been almost entirely lost from the UK with approximately 3% remaining, so burial grounds with species-rich meadow managed in this way are extremely important for wildlife.

These designations should be considered when planning management or change.

If you think that this or any other burial ground should be designated please contact Caring for God’s Acre (info@cfga.org.uk) to discuss. Many eligible sites have not yet received a designation and can be surveyed and then submitted for consideration.

There are no SSSIs within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Local nature reserves within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Local Wildlife sites within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

Evidence of the Presence of Bats

This field aims to record any evidence of the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.

Work in progress - can you help?

Burial and War Grave Information

This field records basic information about the presence of a churchyard and its use as a burial ground.

It is unknown whether the church or churchyard is consecrated. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is closed for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The churchyard does not have war graves.

National Heritage List for England Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

There are no Listed Buildings within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Scheduled Monuments within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

Churchyards are home to fantastic trees, in particular ancient and veteran trees which can be the oldest indication of a sacred space and be features of extraordinary individuality. The UK holds a globally important population of ancient and veteran yew trees of which three-quarters are found in the churchyards of England and Wales.

There are more than 1,000 ancient and veteran yews aged at least 500 years in these churchyards.

To put this in context, the only other part of western Europe with a known significant yew population is Normandy in northern France, where more than 100 ancient or veteran churchyard yews have been recorded.

Burial grounds may contain veteran and ancient trees of other species such as sweet chestnut or small-leaved lime which, whilst maybe not so old as the yews, are still important for wildlife and may be home to many other species.

Specialist advice is needed when managing these wonderful trees. For more information or to seek advice please contact Caring for God’s Acre, The Ancient Yew Group and The Woodland Trust.

If you know of an ancient or veteran tree in a burial ground that is not listed here please contact Caring for God’s Acre.

There are currently no Ancient, Veteran or Notable trees connected to this Closed Church

Churchyard Structures

This field is an index of the churchyard’s components.

Work in progress - can you help?

Significance

Setting Significance Level:

Significance is the whole set of reasons why people value a church, whether as a place for worship and mission, as an historic building that is part of the national heritage, as a focus for the local community, as a familiar landmark or for any other reasons.

Work in progress - can you help?
Setting Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Fabric Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Fabric Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Interior Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Interior Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Community Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Community Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Church Renewables

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Species Summary

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

All of the species listed below have been recorded in close proximity to the Closed Church . A few species which are particularly threatened and affected by disturbance may not be listed here because their exact location cannot be shared.

NOTE: Be aware that this dataset is growing, and the species totals may change once the National Biodiversity Network has added further records. Species may be present but not recorded and still await discovery.

CategoryTotal species recorded to date
TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES RECORDED 0
Total number of animal species 0
Total number of plant species 0
Total number of mammal species 0
Total number of birds 0
Total number of amphibian and reptile species 0
Total number of invertebrate species 0
Total number of fungi species 0
Total number of mosses and liverworts (bryophytes) 0
Total number of ferns 0
Total number of flowering plants 0
Total number of Gymnosperm and Ginkgo 0

Caring for God’s Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.

To learn more about all of the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.

‘Seek Advice’ Species

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

If any of the following species have been seen close to the Closed Church, it is important to seek advice from an expert. You will need to know if they are present now, and to follow expert recommendations when planning works. All of these species have specific legal protection as a recognition of their rarity. All of them are rare or becoming increasingly endangered, so it is important to ensure that management and other works do not adversely affect them. In addition, there may be things you can do to help these special species. N.B. Swift and House Martin do not have specific legal protection but are included, as roof repair works often impact breeding swifts and house martins which is against the law.

This is not a complete list of protected species, there are many more, but these are ones that are more likely to be found. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are also protected by law, as are all bats and veteran trees. In a few cases, species are considered particularly prone to disturbance or destruction by people, so the exact location of where they were recorded is not publicly available but can be requested. These ‘blurred’ records are included here, and the accuracy is to 1km. This means that the species has been recorded in close proximity to the Closed Church, or a maximum of 1km away from it. As these ‘blurred’ species are quite mobile, there is a strong likelihood that they can occur close to the Closed Church. To learn about these special species, use the link provided for each species in the table below

One important species which is not included here is the Peregrine Falcon. This is protected and advice should be sought if peregrines are nesting on a church or cathedral. Peregrine records are ‘blurred’ to 10km, hence the decision not to include records here. Remember too that species not seriously threatened nationally may still be at risk in your region and be sensitive to works. You should check with local experts about this. You may also need to seek advice about invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and aquatics colonising streams or pools, which can spread in churchyards.

N.B. If a species is not recorded this does not indicate absence. It is always good practice to survey.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre can help and support you in looking after the biodiversity present in this special place. If you know that any of these species occur close to the Closed Church and are not recorded here, please contact Caring for God’s Acre with details (info@cfga.org.uk).

To find out more about these and other species recorded against this Closed Church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas.

The church was the centre of many people’s lives and remains a guide to their cares and concerns. Glimpses into those lives have often come down to us in the stories we heard as children or old photographs discovered in tattered shoe boxes. Perhaps your ancestors even made it into local legend following some fantastic event? You can choose to share those memories with others and record them for future generations on this Forum.

Tell us the story of this building through the lives of those who experienced it. Tell us why this church is important to you and your community.

Upload your photographs, share your videos, or compose your story below using a Facebook, Twitter, Google or Disqus account.

Refresh
WhoActionWhen
James MilesModified asset dataWed 02 Dec 2020 16:48:54
James MilesModified asset dataWed 02 Dec 2020 11:42:15
James MilesModified asset data - Modified the Interior DescriptionMon 30 Apr 2018 15:23:04
James MilesAdded image of the interior of the buildingMon 30 Apr 2018 15:21:06
James MilesAdded SourceMon 30 Apr 2018 15:19:28
James MilesAdded SourceMon 30 Apr 2018 15:19:12
James MilesAdded image of the exterior of the buildingMon 30 Apr 2018 15:18:42
James MilesModified asset data - Modified the Summary DescriptionMon 30 Apr 2018 15:16:57
James MilesModified asset data - Modified the Visiting and Facilities informationMon 30 Apr 2018 15:16:12
James MilesModified asset data - Modified the Statutory Designation informationMon 30 Apr 2018 15:15:34
First Previous Next Last 
Page 1 of 2 (16 items)
Page size:
Site Map  | Privacy | T & C | © 2014 - 2025 Archbishops' Council  | Web site by exeGesIS SDM | Rev. 3.4.8529.22773
  • Home
  • Login
  • Register
  • Church Search
  • Site Map