Church Of St Mary And St Botolph

1. 5141 THORNEY ABBEY PLACE (east side) Church of St Mary and St Botolph TF 2804 41/566 22.10.52 I GV 2. Parish church formed from the 5 west bays of the nave of the Abbey church. A monastery was founded circa 670 destroyed in Danish raid of 870 and refounded in 972 for Benedictine monks. In circa 1085 church was rebuilt by Abbot Guenther and completed circa 1108. The 5 bays of the nave of the church is all that remains, the east end, aisles, and almost all the monastic buildings have gone. In 1638 the ruined church was restored as parish church, when the aisles were demolished and the arcades were filled in with Perpendicular windows. The arcades have continuous shafts to ceiling and alternating shafted piers. The round arched clerestory has one Norman bay on south side. The gallery openings have shafts with volute and scalloped capitals. The west front has massive Norman angle turrets with octagonal tops and Perpendicular battlements and has frieze of 9 figures between and over the large partly blocked Perpendicular west window, with portal beneath dated 1638. The east end is in Norman style by Blore 1840-1, ashlar with short transepts and vaulted inside. Sortie German or Swiss stained glass in nave windows.

Listing NGR: TF2823604205