St Mary, Wiggenhall St Mary, Norfolk
Simon Jenkins has noticed that the church buildings of the Ouse delta type almost certainly the greatest concentration of late-medieval craftsmanship in England. Clearly, any cathedral would give them a run for their income, but you know what he suggests. Listed here, there are at minimum a dozen otherwise anonymous and workaday villages with merely enormous churches, lots of of them replete with miracles in stone and wooden. There is remarkably very little medieval glass, and barely a wall-painting at all most likely the natural puritanism of the Fen individuals dispatched these, but observed a useful use to the benches and the fonts. The largest and grandest church buildings are at Walpole St Peter and Terrington St Clement, but neither are notably entire of treasures. St Peter is one of the most stunning architectural documents of the late medieval period, and St Clement is total of light-weight and life but right here at Wiggenhall St Mary is the very best selection of 15th and 16th century benches in Norfolk, perhaps in England.
There are 4 Wiggenhalls: St Peter, St Germans, St Mary and St Mary Magdalene, now recognized merely as Magdalen. All of the villages are compact, Magdalen staying the most important, and are mainly approached up narrow straight roads in the fens. All 4 church buildings sit near to the banks of the Ouse – these banking companies have been raised, because the water level is now better than the encompassing land, but the towers even now sort startling landmarks for any boat heading upstream from Lynn. St Peter is a destroy, and St Mary is now in the treatment of the Churches Conservation Have confidence in. It sits to the north of Magdalen with a couple of large properties for firm.
As with all CCT churches, St Mary is very well-held. The rendering of the nave and chancel has a short while ago been renewed and painted. They disguise a magic formula of this church, the amount of brick utilized in its building. The only expanse of brick nonetheless noticeable is the higher part of the tower. The squatness of the tower belies its peak, and stair turrets lean deliciously into it in the north-west and south-west corners, coming out as castellated turrets at the top rated.
So, we could assume that the top rated third of the tower is contemporary with the late medieval rebuilding – but the builders retained the Early English doorway on the two sides of the church. The south porch is huge, but purposeful there is absolutely nothing of the elaborate decoration you obtain at Walpole St Peter. Also purposeful is the extensive late Victorian restoration by George Street – all the roofs are his.
You stage within to an inside that is at when huge but a minor claustrophobic. This is simply because of the sheer quantity of woodwork – array soon after variety of good, extended, benches with significant bench finishes. Street’s crown-posted roof appears to be to press down to satisfy them without their pierced and traceried backs they would feel oppressive. The dust in the air and the murky light-weight from the east window offers a sense, just for a instant, of remaining underwater. There is a stillness, as if we have disturbed some thing that experienced prolonged remained undisturbed, as if we had been the to start with men and women to enter listed here for ages.
The nave was stuffed with benches in two phases for starters in the mid-15th century, and then again in the early 16th century. The newer benches are individuals in the aisles. Benches are a symptom of what I have come to assume of as a proto-Reformation most likely a century ahead of the actual a single, there is a significant change in the English Church from personal devotions to company acts of worship. This appears to have been partly a reaction to the Black Loss of life, and a concentration of the brain on generating it through purgatory the breaking up of the aged estates introduced forth a new wealthy center course, who were most anxious that their souls should really be prayed for. Element of their venture was a reinforcing of orthodox Catholic doctrine all through the 15th century, vast perpendicular windows replaced the wall paintings, filling the churches with light, and the good roods ended up lifted up to focus people’s minds on the central doctrine of the Christian faith. Features of Catholic doctrine – the sacraments, the works of mercy, the lethal sins – appeared in glass and stone. Benches stuffed the rebuilt church buildings – no extended were being there shadowy corners exactly where previous ladies could explain to their beads, and the plowman his Paternoster, as Mass progressed. The to start with pulpits appeared, and with the coming of the pulpit the Priest left his chancel and entered the domain of the folks, taking it over. All eyes ended up fastened on him now.
The bench ends at Wiggenhall St Mary are complex. Tiers come up each individual facet flanking a substantial market, which includes a figure. The tiers every increase to a 2nd and third determine, which are in some cases linked. Over all rises the strong poppyhead. You can invest an satisfying fifty percent hour just pottering about seeking to detect them. Quite a few are in Tudor costume, and are seated in daily attitudes. Some have rosaries. Some are Saints, many others represent animals, Labours of the Months, virtues or Christian symbols.
Somewhat in distinction, there is an tasteful Laudian font address with trim pillars, and the date 1624. I questioned if the pelican in her piety on best was a later on addition. As at a number of nearby church buildings, there is an early-16th century latten lectern, an eagle supported at the ft by 3 minor grinning lions. The Jacobean pulpit even now retains its hourglass stand. Smatterings of medieval glass are in the upper lights of the north aisle windows. The royal arms are dated 1791, and inform us that the churchwarden that yr was J SUTTRBY.
There is an tasteful parclose monitor in the south aisle which now includes the elaborate memorial tomb of Sir Henry Kerville and his wife. They lie facet by facet, fingers in pious attitudes of prayer.He died in 1624 most shifting are the two very little figures down below them, just one in swaddling clothes these are their kids who died ahead of them.
The east finish of the nave was intended for peak, for the fantastic rood to attract everyone’s consideration. Perhaps to enable accentuate this, the chancel arch is curiously slender, and there are just 8 panels on the dado of the display screen, 4 figures on each individual facet flanking the entrance. From the north they are: St Mary of Magdala, St Dorothy, St Margaret, St Scholastica (twin sister of St Benedict), St Catherine, St Barbara, the Blessed Virgin and child, and St John the Baptist. The chancel is somewhat basic and empty, remaining in its 19th century outfits. The grimy green glass of the east window is overpowering. For a minute, you may possibly be everywhere. And then you change again and see all those huge ranges of medieval benches once again they actually are most extraordinary.
A hallmark of Church buildings Conservation Trust churches is that they are cleared of muddle but that is extremely hard right here, of system, for the reason that the litter is the matter you occur to see. They are intriguing, intriguing but this church is curiously lacking in atmosphere, specially if you have just appear from Wiggenhall St Germans or Walpole St Peter. It is lifeless you could be in no question that it is redundant, and now small much more than a museum.
Posted by Simon Knott on 2016-09-15 18:58:50
Tagged: , Wiggenhall , St , Mary , Norfolk , East Anglia , church
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