Church Of St Martin

Church of St Martin

This is a parish church of medieval origin, though it had fallen into ruins by 1730. The chancel was rebuilt in 1875, and the nave and aisles were reconstructed between 1899 and 1906 by the architects Hicks and Charlewood, funded by Sir Alfred Jodrell of Bayfield Hall. The building is constructed of galletted whole flint with stone dressings and has a lead roof.

The church comprises a three-stage embattled west tower with a parapet of knapped flint, a nave, chancel, north aisle, north porch, south transept, and south vestry. The tower features a gargoyle and clock face to the north, a two-light west window with renewed tracery and a cusp-headed light beneath a square hood mould, and two-light bell openings with voussoirs of alternate brick and knapped flint.

The gabled north porch displays flushwork with trefoil-headed panels and quatrefoils, a crocketted finial, and a niche containing a statue of St Martin and the beggar. The porch arch is moulded and basket-headed with side shafts and shields inscribed "XPI" and "IHS". The returns have trefoil-headed lights with glass by E. Heaseman showing angels bearing scrolls with the text "The Lord shall preserve thy coming out" and "and thy coming in". The door has wrought iron foliage straps copied from the west door of the Church of St Margaret at Cley-next-the-Sea.

The north aisle and chapel are united under one roof, separated by a buttress. Both contain three-light windows with alternate voussoirs of brick and knapped flint. The north chapel and chancel each have three-light east windows, while single trefoil-headed lights appear to the north and south of the chancel. Diagonal buttresses and crosses to the gables of the chancel and nave are further features. The south facade comprises a lean-to south transept to the chancel with two-light windows to the south and west, a three-light window to the nave matching the north aisle, and a gable parapet to the south vestry.

The interior retains a 15th-century two-bay arcade to the north with octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. A chancel arch with plain jambs and a chamfered arch is present, along with chamfered inner arches to the arches from the chancel to the north chapel and south transept, now serving as an organ bay.

The church contains very fine wood carving of approximately 1900, executed in 15th-century style by Frank McGinnity and Walter Thompson throughout. The chancel roof is double-framed and arch-braced with carved rafters featuring elaborate bosses and a frieze. Stone angel corbels support flying wooden angels above. The nave has a hammerbeam roof with flying angels at the hammers and alternate hammers with angel wall posts.

A rood screen with a narrow loft, accessed via a stair with a four-centred arch between the north chapel and chancel arch, displays Decorated-style tracery to both screen and panels, with a suspended rood above. Choir stalls feature Decorated tracery, linenfold panelling, stall canopies, and poppyheads. Chancel panelling includes traceried panels and a carved frieze rail. Stone sedilia with an ogee arch decorated with rose cusps and diaper work are present. A panelled dado to the nave features a frieze of acorns and leaves. A wooden pulpit on a stone base has traceried panels and canopied evangelists at the angles. A screen to the tower displays crocketted panel tracery and a doorway with vine-decorated spandrels.

The font is a white marble octagonal vessel in 15th-century style, copied from Walsoken in Norfolk, and capable of displaying seven sacraments. A crocketted wooden font cover rises to a dove and is bordered with fleurs de lys.

The north chapel has a roof of square traceried panels. A screen to the chancel matches the tower screen. Painted saints decorate the altar panels. A memorial to Adela Monckton Jodrell, who died in 1896, comprises a white marble angel carrying a wreath and standing on a cloud, signed by P. Bazzanti of Florence. The organ bay features wooden lierne vaulting with bosses.

The north aisle has an arch-braced roof with bosses and Decorated-style tracery to the spandrels. The front pew of the bench end is carved with a copy of "The Shepherd's Chief Mourner" by E.M. Landseer.

Six and twelve-light brass candelabra, suspended from wrought iron hooks and said to come from Italy, are hung throughout the interior.

The stained glass includes work by C.E. Kempe and E. Heasman. The east windows of the chancel and north chapel are by Kempe. The north chapel east window shows the Annunciation and depicts the ruined churches of St Martin at Glandford and St Margaret at Bayfield. Other windows by Heasman include St George and St Martin, to the west of the north aisle, and the Virgin flanked by Justice and Peace in the north chapel.

An alabaster tablet in the vestry records the rebuilding of the church and lists the names of all craftsmen involved.