Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building in the Breckland local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 May 1960. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Mary

WRENN ID
tattered-clay-dale
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Breckland
Constituency
Mid Norfolk MP: George Freeman (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
30 May 1960
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Mary, Whissonsett
OS grid reference
TF 919 233
Coordinates
52.77363, 0.84365
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Mary is a parish church that dates from the medieval period and later. It is constructed of flint with ashlar dressings and has slate roofs. The building features a west tower, an aisleless nave with a south porch, and a chancel that includes a vestry and an organ outshut to the north.

The early 14th-century west tower has diagonal buttresses, two-light cusped Y-traceried bell openings, and small foiled sound holes. There is a 15th-century inserted west window with two lights and an embattled transom. The tower is topped with a crenellated parapet that has corner finials, flushwork, and blind traceried panels with shields. The nave contains 14th-century moulded north and south doors and six heavily restored two-light windows in the Perpendicular style.

The chancel, which was modified in the 19th century, features an east window in a Geometric style, two Y-traceried windows to the south, and one to the north. The south porch has a corrugated iron roof and a 15th-century four-centred entrance with polygonal responds, along with two small cusped windows. Some medieval ironwork can be found in the south door. The tower arch is plain and chamfered, consisting of three orders.

Inside, there are a pair of plain nave piscinas, and the chancel arch is likely 19th-century in the Perpendicular style. The chancel contains three 19th-century stained glass windows, a re-set trefoil piscina, and a 19th-century triple sedilia with cusped arches. Additionally, there is a Victorian foiled chancel screen and pulpit in the Decorated style. The 15th-century octagonal font features a cross plinth, a panel traceried stem, and quatrefoil bowl panels.

Local climate

Church of St Mary receives an average of 780 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 62% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 52% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 18 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 82% of listed buildings. Of these, 10 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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