St Mary, Redenhall, Norfolk
I had not been back again to Redenhall for ten several years, but its excellent tower is unforgettable, rearing out of the rolling hills to the north of the Waveney. As you get closer, you see that spreading outside of the church is what need to be one particular of the most significant churchyards in Norfolk, and there is a reason for this. Although Redenhall is a tiny village, the parish contains the rather sector city of Harleston, from which it is divided by the horrible Diss to Yarmouth road. Harleston has a 19th century chapel of ease in its centre, but when you see St Mary even from a length you know that this is the a person that usually means small business.
Reminiscent of the towers at Eye and Laxfield around the Suffolk border, the tower was just about absolutely the get the job done of the exact same masons. It was bankrolled by the De la Poles, 1 of the richest family members in East Anglia in the 15th century, and the point that the elaborate flushwork is only in 3 sides of the tower, but not on the south aspect which are unable to be seen from the street, demonstrates that they ended up a very wily bunch when it came to splashing the hard cash. They experienced been beneficiaries of the pestilences of the past century, when the deaths of approximately fifty percent the people today of Norfolk and Suffolk resulted in the break-up of the old estates and the soaring of wages and charges, enabling those with dollars to get land cheaply. The emergence of a residence-possessing unbiased center course without having historic ties and loyalties to their parishes and folks would inevitably guide to the two good ideologies of the 2nd fifty percent of the millennium, Protestantism and Capitalism.
But that was in the potential when the De la Poles and fellow proto-capitalists the Brothertons were generating bequests to rebuild St Mary. Up went the tower and the clerestory, and the aisle windows had been all changed in the style of the working day. Only the chancel was left hunting fairly mean and slight. Possibly they would have got to that far too experienced priorities not transformed. All over the base of the tower you can see their leopard and wild man symbols. You could possibly also place tortoises, for this was the symbol of the Gawdy household. One curious depth is the carving of farriers’ implements on the west door. These have been taken to indicate that the doorway was paid out for by the community farriers’ guild, but I see no reason to suppose that the carving is modern, and I consider it is as most likely to be the work of an idle 18th century hand.
Inevitably, the inside of the church was not heading to are living up to the exterior. I had appear listed here from the two churches of the Pulhams, both equally big barns of churches, and this one is a little bit of a barn too, vast and echoey, but perhaps a classier barn than the two I had beforehand visited. It is legitimate that the inside of St Mary has been totally Victorianised, and it is really challenging to summon up any perception of its medieval everyday living. The significant dim woodwork of the situation of the Holdich organ in the west gallery would have frowned on the acres of coloured glass in the naves at the Pulhams, but here there is fairly distinct gentle with only a couple of Ward & Nixon windows that can effortlessly be tuned out.
But there are interesting corners which give the church quite much a character of its possess, for illustration the Gawdy chapel at the east conclude of the north aisle which consists of a spirited classical altar tomb of the late 18th century, a trace of Strawberry Hill Gothick about it, fairly uncommon but very well accomplished. The window of heraldic glass is by Samuel Yarrington, and is mentioned to have occur from Gawdy Corridor in the north of the parish, demolished in the early years of WWII. An intriguing detail in the chapel is a 16th Century Venetian linen upper body which is also stated to arrive from Gawdy Corridor. It stands open up, and you can see a depiction of the Annunciation with sailing ships earlier mentioned on the within of the lid, which is quite curious and instead charming.
Redenhall church is well known for just one distinct medieval survival. This is the spectacular double-headed eagle lectern, the wonderful product or service of a 15th century East Anglian workshop. There is yet another in one particular of the Kings Lynn church buildings, and the one at St Mark’s in Venice is explained to be from the identical workshop. I adore the very little lions on the pedestals finest of all. Remarkably, the church has a second medieval lectern, a wood a person, and the two are solidly chained down to stop theft.
You can wander below the wonderful organ to beneath the tower, an outstanding house as substantial as some church buildings. Although no lengthier applied, you get an effect of the terrific processional entrance this have to as soon as have been, and maybe an inkling of what St Mary was like in its late medieval heyday, a location at very last to replicate on the glory that at the time was listed here. As if to remind us of the passing of these points, a surviving painted plaque, in all probability from a shed 17th Century memorial, hangs beside the tower arch. Demise, it reads, behold thy selfe to me, such one particular was I as thou, and thou in time shall be even dust as I am now…
Posted by Simon Knott on 2018-08-06 19:32:34
Tagged: , Redenhall , Norfolk , East Anglia , church , churches
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