Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church largely rebuilt in 1876, with evidence of earlier origins dating back to around 1100 in the chancel, a 13th-century south transept, and a 15th-century south porch. The church is constructed of rubble and knapped flint with stone dressings, and has 20th-century concrete pantile roofs. It comprises a west tower, a four-bay nave and aisles, a south porch and a south aisle transept chapel, and a three-bay chancel. The west tower was rebuilt in 1876 after a collapse.

The south porch has a knapped flint south face with set-off buttresses and a 1876 entrance arch. Above the arch is a 15th-century nodding ogee head niche with a rectangular drip mould head and armorial panel base. Blocked brick dressed openings are present on the north and south sides. The interior features an 1876 rib-vaulted roof with a central 15th-century boss depicting the Holy Trinity. The south porch contains a circa 1300 moulded arch with label stop heads. Aisle windows include two 3-light windows to the north and two to the south. Four north and four south 3-light clerestory windows, all rebuilt in 1876, display Perpendicular details.

The fine south aisle transept chapel has a late 13th-century four-light window with trefoil heads to each light, outer rounded trefoils, minor pointed trefoils in the spandrels, all under a pointed segmental arch with drip mould heads. The west return presents a single octofoil round window; the east, two 3-light intersected tracery windows under drip mould heads with label stops. The chancel south side features two circa 1200 lancets, alongside a 15th-century 3-light tracery window inserted at the west end. A circa 1876 south priests door is present. The east end has simple clasping quoined buttresses, returned round angles, and a 1876 Decorated 5-light east window.

The interior includes four-bay north and south arcades and roofs, all dating to 1876. A piscina is located within the south transept. The chancel contains a Norman piscina on a pillar with an interlace top knob bowl. See H.J. Durkinfield Astley’s Two Norfolk Villages (Norwich 1900), pp.11-23, for further historical context.