Church Of St George

Church of St George, Saham Toney

This is a parish church of 13th and 14th century date with a 15th century west tower. The chancel was restored by J C Buckler in 1864. The building is constructed of flint with limestone dressings. The nave roof is pantiled, the chancel slated, and the porch and aisle roofs are lead-covered.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north and south aisles, and a south porch.

The 15th century west tower has diagonal staged buttresses. The plinth incorporates decorative stone panels with 'M' and 'G' motifs. There are square traceried sound holes and large 3-light bell openings with Perpendicular tracery. A polygonal stair turret is located at the north-east corner. The west door has spandrels depicting St George slaying the dragon. Above the west door is a 4-light early Perpendicular window. An embattled parapet with crocketted corner pinnacles, added in the 19th century, crowns the tower.

A single lancet window in the west wall of the south aisle dates to the early 13th century. The south porch has been much restored and is two storeys in height. Above the entrance is a 2-light window with Perpendicular tracery. The porch has a swept gable parapet with a cross-finial and angle buttresses with cusped niches.

The south aisle contains two 13th century windows with plate tracery and two 3-light Perpendicular windows. A central staged buttress divides them. The aisle is topped by an eaves parapet with roll-moulded coping. A 3-light Perpendicular east window lights the south aisle.

The nave has a clearstorey of four bays, with 2-light 14th century windows displaying cusped 'Y' tracery. Two of the north side clearstorey windows have plate tracery. A small 2-light Decorated window with a low-side window below appears in the south chancel wall.

The chancel features a good Transitional priests door with a chamfered pointed arch of two orders and attached shafts with Romanesque capitals. The chancel windows are generally 19th century restorations in Perpendicular style. The parapeted east gable has staged buttresses with ogee-headed caps, replacing 19th century pinnacles by Buckler. A small parapeted vestry stands on the north side of the chancel, with an octagonal stone chimney stack at its north-east corner. The vestry has square-headed 2-light windows.

The north aisle has a 3-light Decorated east window with a restored head. A curved rood stair projection occupies the angle. The north aisle contains two 3-light windows with reticulated tracery. The north doorway is partly blocked with a glazed head.

The interior contains 13th century north and south arcades of five bays. These feature circular piers and abaci, with double hollow-chamfered arches. A hood mould with stiff-leaf stops runs above. A tall tower arch rises beyond.

The 14th century chancel arch is accompanied by a 15th century square-headed screen with one-light divisions with ogee heads. A rood stair is located on the north side of the chancel arch.

The nave has a flat plastered ceiling with encased and plastered arch-braces and tie beams. Coving with decorative bosses sits above the clearstorey. An elaborate 19th century chancel roof features cusped arch braces to the purlin and ridge, with arch-braced collars.

A 15th century piscina occupies the south wall of the chancel, with a copy or restored version on the north wall. Dropp-cill sedilia are also present.

The church contains a 15th century octagonal font with an elaborate cover dated 1632, also octagonal, with unfluted Ionic columns supporting an ogee dome topped with a pelican finial. Some benches feature poppyhead ends and animal carvings on the arm rests.