Church Heritage Record 626485

Nave, north porch, chancel. Small boiler house on south side.

[Approximate] Nave 15m (50ft) x 7m (22ft), chancel 6m (18’6ft) long.

The church was built in the 12th century, from which period the round tower and some architectural fragments survive. In the 14th century the nave and chancel were built or elongated and the belfry stage of the tower rebuilt as an octagon, and the porch added. There was some refenestration in the 15th century. The nave roof was replaced in 1604. The church was restored in 1907, including repairing the nave roof which had failed.

The 16th-century manor house was sold in the early 20th century to a banker and rebuilt by him in an Arts and Crafts style by the architect Robert Weir Schultz, who may also have restored the church.  The hall and estate now belongs to a Malaysian businessman who lives there much of the year, and who looks after the churchyard.

A charming small church.  Round west tower with 14th century octagonal upper stage which has restored 2-light bell openings with cusped Y-tracery and roll-moulded quoins to angles. Small semi-circular headed west window and a slit above. Some render still adheres to the nave walls.

Staged buttresses of flint and brick with stone dressings. Windows in north wall of nave and south wall of chancel are of two lights with cusped 'Y' tracery, c. 1300. The south wall of the nave has one 2-light late Decorated window, a large blocked opening with a later square drip mould now truncating the arched head, a two light window with 'Y' tracery, the mullion rebuilt in ovolo-moulded brick, and a 2-light Decorated window with a restored elliptical head. The 2-light westernmost window in the north wall of the nave is an interesting example of late Decorated/early Perpendicular.  North porch of brick and flint, much rebuilt.

The north wall of the chancel has a projecting semi-circular pier with a pantile capping, possibly an old flue. To the west of this is a Priest’s door with segmental head, adjoining a 3-light Perpendicular window. Large brick buttresses with stone copings. East wall has angle buttresses and a 4-light reticulated window under an ogee headed arch. Small cusped niche below east window.

The church is simple inside, whitewashed, an attractive, well-lit space. There are bats, hence the plastic sheets seen in the photograph, creating work for the congregation cleaning up in the summers.  

The nave roof immediately attracts attention. The EH listing description states that “the nave roof probably 17th century, rebuilt in 1907: quadrant moulded tie beams with curious shallow arch braces to wall posts. While an accurate description, it seems unlikely that this unusual roof, described by Pevsner as “like looped-up curtains”, is 17th-century, though there is clearly some re-use of timber; more likely this design is Arts-and-Crafts inspired, and dates to 1907.

Looking west, there is a rather rustic 1950s timber gallery over the rebuilt Norman tower arch reached by a fixed ladder, which houses the organ with its elaborately decorated case, designed by Pugin for West Tofts St Mary and brought here when that church was isolated in a battlefield area after World War II. The tower space houses the font and the floor is of old pannets and tiles here, unlike the probably early 20th-century tiles in the nave.

Looking east, the south nave wall has a large 14th century wall painting of St Christopher at the west end near the tower arch. There are remains of 17th-century text in the reveal of the easternmost window, and two later panels of text on the north wall.  17th century wooden plaque, now very decayed, in base of window in south nave wall.   Simple pine pews with moulded ends, choir stalls with simple poppyheads.

There is no chancel arch but carved corbels for the roof loft can be seen in the nave walls. There is a continuous hood mould over the south chancel windows, supported at the west end on a shaft with Romanesque capital. Dropped cill sedilia and angle piscina to easternmost window, 14th-century. The chancel roof is boarded, with wooden coving. The floor is composed of ledger slabs, 17th and 18th century.